Can't Have You
by RainOnMex
Summary: Nick Grey broke Miley's best friend's heart- Selena. Miley hated him the day she met him. Selena went to England for college and Miley went to boarding school in California. What happens if Nick ends up going to the same school & they fall in love? Niley.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: new story I promised. (: if I don't get like 20 reviews or something, I'll cancel the idea. I really like the plot so enjoy. (: far away readers, I'm deleting the story. Sorry I never finished it. I have another new story coming up though. :3**

_Can't Have You_

_Chapter One _

I sat in my room next to Selena as I listened to her cry her out. Tears were falling down her cheeks every once and a while as she sniffed, wiping her cheeks. I stared at her in awe, feeling so sorry for her. The boy she thought she loved broke up with her because he didn't love her back. They were only friends. I know there weren't words to make Selena feel better. I was her best friend and it was my job to make her feel as happy as possible. But right now, it was impossible.

"Don't cry, Lena." I whispered, comfortingly as I rubbed her back. I bent forward and took the tissue from the desk and handed it to her. ":He's a jerk. There are a lot of other boys out there and I'm sure they'll be the luckiest guy on earth once they get your attention." I said, trying to force out a smile.

"Miley, Nick's not any other guy and you know that. There's something about him that makes him so special. He's different. The kind of different that I thought wouldn't hurt me." Selena sniffed as she blew her nose into the tissue I gave her.

"He does love you, Lenny. But only in a friend kind of way. Think about it, at least he honestly and completely loves you as a friend." I sighed, almost giving up on comforting her. It would take like a year to heal her broken heart.

"But I want to be more than that. I want to be called 'his girl.' I want to him to call me his." she sobbed into my favorite pillow that I offered her to cry on making me feel even more bad for her.

"Hun, someone out there will call you those things and love you just the way you'll love him." I said, proud of my choice of words.

I honestly hated Nick and he hated me. Whenever Selena was around with Nick or they were both hanging out in my house, I'd pretend Nick didn't exist and was just me and my best friend. In school, we'd pretend we never knew each other and just bump into each other. Selena knew that was a problem but she didn't mind as long as she had me and she had Nick.

"I know." Selena sighed, defeated.

"Why won't we go out to eat sushi or something then go shopping. I know sushi, shakes and shopping make you smiley." I giggled as I stood up, pulling her arm with me, trying to make her stand up.

"But, Miles, I'm not really in the mood. I hate forced shopping." Selena whined as she kept sitting, not wanting to stand up.

"Ugh, I hate you. I know you wanna come. Your lazy butt's just too lazy to stand up." I said as I pulled her until she finally stood up.

"Mi." she whined. "Fine. Just two pairs of shoes, two outfits and just sushi. Deal?" Selena smiled.

"Deal. Fix up your mascara and let's go." I said as I grabbed my jacket and purse from my closet along with my keys. I watched Selena walk towards the bathroom to fix up her make-up. I stood in front of the mirror, trying to fix my boots and skinny jeans. Selena came back in the room with her bag as she fixed her blouse.

"Ready." Selena said as she walked towards me pulling me to the door. "Let's go while I'm still in the mood." she pulled me out of the house and into the driveway in front of my Porsche, ready for me to open.

"Calm down, Lenny." I giggled as I slid in the key in the keyhole, opening the door. I got in the driver's seat and Selena got in the front seat.

"To the mall!" I said, laughing as I started the engine. I pulled out slowly outside the driveway and into the neighborhood streets. "Come on, this is LA. Where are all the people today?" I asked, completely confused.

"Maybe they're all asleep or something." she said as we looked around for at least five year olds playing jumping rope. We drove through the highway as the music blasted through the speakers. We bopped our head to the song playing as we sang along. Minutes passed by and we were already in the mall parking lot. We got out of the car as we walked inside the mall. Usual shoppers were roaming around.

"Where first?" Selena asked as she looked around.

"How about we go shop first while the cute clothes still last?"

"Yeah, good point." she said as we walked past BCBG. We glanced at every store with cute clothes until we spotted Forever 21– our favorite store. Selena and I walked in the store as she started to sort through some hangers. She grabbed a few clothes that she liked and walked down to the other side of the store to find more clothes with a smile on her face.

I sorted through some hangers as I picked up every clothing that I liked. There weren't any good clothes today like any other days. I followed Selena to the other side of the store, in hopes that there were better clothes in that side.

"Got any good clothes already?" I asked as I pushed every hanger that I didn't like.

"Yeah, I have like three." she giggled as she held up the blouses and dresses she picked up earlier as she went back to scanning.

"Oh, this looks good on you." I said as I grabbed a black and white striped blouse off of the hanger and held it up for her. "It's your favorite colors."

"Good eye." she giggled as she added it on the pile of her chosen clothes.

I scanned as I finally found the perfect dress for me. I smiled as I held it up towards Selena for her to judge. "What do you think? Too much or just right?"

"More like perfect!" she grinned as she admired the blue-green dress. "You will totally rock this." Selena said as she picked up more clothes.

"Are you going to buy like all of that?" I asked.

"No, silly. Just the ones that look good on me. Hey,it's fun to play dress up." Selena giggled. "I'm just going to try these on, okay?" she said as she walked in a dressing room.

"Yeah, sure." I said as I remembered my cell phone. My dad must've called already to check on me. I dug my hands in my front pocket and my cell phone wasn't there. I checked every pocket in my jeans, then it hit me. "Shit, I forgot my purse inside the car." I muttered to myself, slapping myself on the forehead.

I walked towards Selena's dressing room, knocking on the wooden door. "Hey, Lena?" I checked if it was her.

"Yeah?"

"I'm just going back to the parking lot okay? I forgot my freaking purse inside. If I don't get it, I don't get to shop." I giggled.

"Oh, okay. Take your time. I'll be right here."

"Yeah, okay." I said as I settled all of my blouses that I picked up and settled it on the couch that was displayed in the middle of the store. I walked out of the mall and into the parking lot, finding my pink Porsche. I forgot where I parked it as I walked through aisles of cars.

"There you are." I said to myself as I approached the car. I slid in the key, opening the door. I grabbed my purse and checked if dad called or left a message. _1 unread message. _It said. I groaned as I read the message from my dad.

_Bud, remember the curfew, 10 pm okay? I was just checking. It's already 5 in the afternoon. Have fun. (: - dad._

I rolled my eyes, smiling on how protective he was. I stuffed my phone back inside my purse, closing the door lock in the process. I stopped for a second when I realized there was a mustang parked next to me. Nick got out of the car as he stared at me for a second. I started to walk away when I realized it was him.

"Hey, wait a minute." Nick said to me making me stop and turn around.

"What?"

"Um, nothing. A-Are you with Selena?" he asked as he approached me.

"Yeah."

"Look, I know you're mad at me for breaking you best friend's heart but I can't be trapped in a relationship where I don't love the girl I call my girlfriend." he explained.

"Then why did you make her think you did love her? To play with her? I know you're the captain of the football team and all but that doesn't give you the right to do that." I said all in one breath.

"I didn't want to hurt her, Miley and you know that." Nick snapped, trying to control the volume of his voice.

"No, I don't. Because you act like you don't know me and you act like a jerk when you're around me. I don't what the deal is but I pretended to be friends with you just for Selena's sake." I said, keeping calm.

"The deal is I don't like you. You have to be such a diva in school. Yeah, you're not mean but you want the spotlight. Why can't you be more like you're best friend?" Nick said, his words making me flinch a little. He doesn't know me.

"You don't know me, Nick Grey and stop pretending you do." I shook my head lightly. "_you _are the problem not me. I don't know what I did to make me dislike me but I'm done." I said, turning around and walking away.

"Wait, done with what?" Nick called out.

"Done with trying to be friends with you." I said, turning around back at him and walking away, leaving him alone. I entered the mall again, stomping my way inside Forever 21. I groaned as I scanned at the rack of hangers as I heard Selena's footsteps behind me. I didn't care at all and just continued to pretend to look at clothes.

"Hey. Did you get your purse?" she asked, cheerily as she held her newly bought clothes.

"Yeah." I answered, not wanting to say anything else.

"Did something happen at the parking lot? Did someone like stole your Ray Ban or something?" she giggled. I didn't answer as I listen to her giggle fade along with her smile. "Miley? I know something happened. Please tell."

"It was your stinking ex-boyfriend okay?! He stops me, asks if I was with you and I said yes then he goes all I didn't mean to break Selena's heart, blah, blah, blah and I was like you were such a jerk for doing that and he was all like you're such a diva and I was all you don't know me so don't say that and I said I was done and he asks done with what and I was done trying to be friends with you." I babbled, angrily as I watched Selena's face turn into complete confusion.

"Nick is h-here?" she asked, her voice going low.

"Yeah." I sighed. "I'm sorry, Lenny."

"It's okay. That won't bother me. Don't you realize next week you're going to boarding school already? I mean here, in California! That's like way cool. And I'm going in England. Don't you know that it rains like 200 days in a year there?"

"Yes, I know that." I giggled. "England's cool, you know. You get to see Big Ben, The Eye, The Buckingham Palace, there's a lot to explore."

"Mm, you're right. _And _Harry Potter's there." she laughed as I paid for the dress I picked earlier in the counter.

"You get to speak in British, darling." I laughed along, saying it in a British accent. I picked up the paper bag as we left the store, getting hungry. "We're only here for like an hour and I'm already hungry. Let's eat."

"To Burger King!" Selena giggled as we linked arms, walking towards the store.

- - -

I got home 9 in the evening making my dad worried like crazy. We spent the whole day in the mall and it seemed like time went by. I opened the door and the lights were off. The only source of light was the light coming from the television. Dad was asleep on the couch. Usual thing he does on a Saturday night. I switched on the lights as I walked towards my dad, shaking him lightly.

"Dad." I whispered. "Dad, I'm home."

I said, he didn't seem to hear me. He just kept on snoring. I shook him more violently and it didn't work either. I groaned as I pulled him up. "Dad! Wake up!" I yelled as his eyes finally opened, wiping his drool on his chin.

"Oh, sorry bud. Bud, you do realize it's 9 in the evening. You spent the whole day in the mall? You gotta stop doing this when you get to college."

"It's my last week with Selena, dad. I'm making it memorable. And besides, she's going through a rough heartbreak and I'm here, trying to cheer her up." I said as I went upstairs to my room, my dad tailing behind me.

"I thought Nick was a good boy?" he asked as he stood in the doorway.

I scoffed. "Not really." I made my way towards the closet, grabbing my suitcases and setting them beside my bed. I was packed already and ready to leave next week.

"Now you better watch out to boys like that. Especially in the boarding school." dad lectured as he raised his eyebrow.

"Jerks aren't my type, dad." I giggled as I flopped down the bed. "And I learned my lesson. You just don't say I love you unless you mean it. Every boy can break your heart, even Jake." I sighed.

"Darling, it's been a year. You're still not over it?"

"I'm over it, daddy. It's just, I miss him. Even though he was an ass and obnoxious." I smiled as I hugged my pillow.

"That's my baby." he smiled back.

"I don't even want to date this year. I've been through enough. But that doesn't mean I won't date anymore." I giggled with my dad.

"Nick's a handsome kid. There might be a chance that you're somehow into him." my dad smirked, arching his eyebrows.

"Dad!" I scoffed, laughing. "Sure he's cute and he has brown eyes and his hair is cute and curly and all and he plays the guitar and..." I said, snapping out of it immediately. "But that doesn't mean I like him already. He's a jerk."

"Sure, bud. Sure."

I laughed. "Goodnight, dad!" I said, trying to drive him away.

"Night, bud. Love you."

"Love you, dad." I smiled as he closed the door shut.

I cuddled the pillow right next to me, yawning as I stared at my suitcases. I was already going to college. And I was excited about that, but being without my best friend would be tough. Especially when you've been friends since you were four. I closed my eyes as I stretched lightly. Then the sandman hit me. I was asleep.

- - -

_A week later..._

My dad, me and Selena stood in the middle of the crowded airport, saying goodbye to Selena. Four years without chitchatting to your best friend everyday would be miserable. I hugged Selena as I squeezed her back tightly, feeling a tear roll down my cheek. I was going to miss her that was for sure. She shot me a sad smile as he hugged my dad. My dad was like his own dad. Her parents were too busy to even take her to the airport.

"I'm going to miss you, Lenny." I sniffed.

"I'm going to miss you, too. Also you Mr, Stewart."

"IM me everyday, email me. I promise I'll answer." I smiled.

"I promise." she smiled. "We're going to enjoy college, okay?"

"Yeah, of course." I giggled. "Take care of yourself."

"You too." she smiled. "Hey, keep your other promise, okay?"

"What other promise?"

"No boyfriends." she giggled.

"No boyfriends." I repeated as I gave her another hug. "I am so gonna miss you."

"Ugh, me too." Selena pouted then smiled. "I'll IM you when I get there."

"Me too." I smiled back. "Well, I'll see you whenever."

"Yeah." Selena giggled. "whenever. I totally understand 'cause I'm halfway across the world." she laughed.

"Not halfway, just a quarters." I laughed along. "Bye, Lenny."

"Bye, Mi. Bye Mr. Stewart!" she waved before going to the departure lane. We watched her walk away and into the other building. I was going to miss her.

I sighed as I turned to my dad. "Well, we better get to my boarding school. I need to get there like on time." I said.

"Okay, darling." he chuckled as we walked outside the building and into the parking lot. I got in the front seat as I watched my dad walk over to the driver seat. He slid in the car as he started the engine making the car roar to life. The university was a bit far away. It was going to be a long drive.

I stuffed my earphones in my ears as I turned the volume up, letting the music drown my nervousness and my excitement. I stared out the window as I watched the scenery– passing California in a blurry vision. I felt my stomach do a little flip as my mind drifted back to living life as a college student alone.

I knew it was going to be fun for Californian teenagers were also going to be my schoolmates. I was excited about everything; my room, my roommate, my new friends, me living alone and the many adventures I was going to face. I was already a college student and this is going to be tricky. I heard my dad say something over the music playing in the earphones. I removed them from my ears as I turned my attention to my father who seems to be preaching.

"Sorry, dad. I didn't hear." I giggled.

"What I said was, you should learn how to be responsible now that you're going to be living alone. No drinking, no parties just study. And if possible, no boyfriends." dad said. "like that's possible."

"sure, dad. I know my limitations."

"You better, darling. 'Cause you know I trust you."

"dad, I'm not a kid anymore."

"You're not but you might need reminding."

"Thanks, dad. I'm sure going to miss your speeches when I get there." I joked, laughing.

"You will, bud." dad chuckled.

I stuffed my earphones on, rolling my eyes playfully as I bopped my head to the lyrics of my favorite songs. Time flew by and I didn't notice that we were already in the school campus. Teenagers about my age were roaming around the grassy grounds. Groups of friends were gathered in each corner, catching up with each other. It was like the first day of high school all over again. I gulped as I watched them roam around. I was the outcast again and it's going to take forever to make a new friend.

I got out of the car, my stomach doing cartwheels as I took my luggage from my dad. My dad noticed that I was nervous making him chuckle. I forced out a smile as I let out a deep breath. "Wow, I'm in college. I made it." I smiled.

"I'm proud of you, bud. You're mom would've been also." he said as he gave me a big bear hug, probably making the most of his stay,

"Thank you, dad." I smiled again as I hugged him back. "I'm gonna miss you, daddy."

"It was like only yesterday that you were running around in diapers inside the house." dad chuckled as he reminisced. "Those were the days..."

"Dad, not with that again." I giggled. "I'll text you and call you everyday."

"I'm gonna miss you, bud." dad said as he gave me one more hug. "You better go in now. You might wanna see your new room."

"Bye, dad." I smiled as I gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you!" I said as I carried my luggage inside the building where the dorm was. It was really modern. Beautiful architecture and interesting art walls.

I looked around as I glanced every now and then down to my paper where all the information I needed to know was written. My locker was next to the Chemical lab, my room was on the second floor, and my roommate's name was Mandy. Seems like everything was in order. I went inside the elevator and pressed the button, taking me up to the second floor. I looked around and there wasn't really anyone around.

I followed the directions to where I can find my room. I pushed the door open and the room was surprisingly beautiful. Brown and red wallpaper was set up on the walls, making it look classy and the carpet was white and brown. Two beds were set up and a bathroom. It was pretty good. I settled my bags on the side of the room as I gave myself a quick tour around the room. Two drawers, two closets and one bathroom and a window with a California view. I smiled as I decided to take a tour of the rest of the school.

I opened the door and the door across the hall opened also, revealing... Nick Grey.

My eyes widened as we stared at each other in shock. Out of many schools in the world, why was I so unfortunate to be his schoolmate, not to mention his room was right across me. I snapped out of my thoughts as I finally found the right words to say.

"This cannot be possible..." I said, sighing. Nick stood there, awkwardly, the both of us unable to move.

**a/n: you might be thinking things are happening so quickly but I want to fast forward to the main point of the story. Get this, Selena and Miley are best friends okay? ((: like it? Love it? Should I continue or not? Leave a review. :) **xoxo, Rica.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: I did got reviews. (: not that plenty but hey, at least you guys appreciate what I did. ((: so I'm posting chapter 2. let's see if it's going to interest you guys. Oh yeah, _Miley and Nick don't actually hate each other. _They just annoy each other. Haha. :D reviews!**

_Can't Have You_

_Chapter Two_

"You have got to be kidding me..." I sighed as I leaned on the wall, slapping myself on the forehead. This was going to be a nightmare.

"Look, you're not the only one who's surprised and pissed at the same time, okay? I didn't know you were going here." Nick explained as he crossed his arms across his chest. He had a point.

"I didn't know also." I retorted. "All we have to do is make this work."

"How?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"You don't bother me, I won't bother you. Deal?" I proposed.

"Um, deal." Nick hesitated. "can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Selena went to England, right?" he said, sounding low.

"Yeah. She'd be happy if you at least IM her and check if she had a good flight." I suggested as I watched him nod. I couldn't help but study his features. He was a little taller than me, he has brown curly locks and he has the most amazing eyes. I looked away before he could catch me staring at him,

"I will, I guess." Nick answered. I nodded and closed the door behind me, making my way into the hallway, passing Nick. "wait, where are you going?"

I looked back as I stopped walking. "Look around the school."

"I haven't really looked around the school yet, can I come?"

"Okay?" I said, sounding more of a question. I took the stairs rather than the elevator. I didn't want to stay in there with Nick. He trailed behind me as we got out of the building and into the campus. The scenery earlier didn't quite change except cheerleaders were now practicing and football players were playing catch. Nick and I looked around as we walked past the cheerleaders.

"It's like high school all over again." Nick chuckled as we walked.

"The second level of high school." I said as I noticed the many tall trees that surrounded the school buildings and the school grounds. Lockers were along the hallway and the students seemed to know their way in and out and where to go.

"Miley, watch out!" Nick exclaimed as I turned my head around. I felt a body crash into me as my body made contact with the ground. My head and my back hurt the second I fell down. Two shadows hovered over me. I opened my eyes slowly, my vision blurry.

"Miley, are you okay?" Nick asked, concerned as he helped me up. I groaned as I stood up, my body hurting with the hard impact.

"What the heck is wrong with you?!" I exclaimed as I rubbed my head, referring to the man that just collided into me.

"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't watching. We were playing football. I didn't mean to." he said as he tried to check if I was okay. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not." I said, sighing.

"I really didn't mean to." he said again. "I'm Liam." he said as he put his hand out.

"Yeah, I understand." I nodded. "I'm Miley." I said as I shook his hand.

"You better watch where you're going next time, man." Nick said, his face straight. "You're not the only people around."

"I'm okay, it was an accident." I said, shooting Nick a look.

"Yeah, man. Is she your girlfriend?" Liam asked making my eyes widen.

"No. She's not my girlfriend." Nick answered quickly.

"Oh, hey, maybe we could hang out later and I'll give you a look around." he offered, flashing me a smile.

"That would be great." I smiled. "I'll see you around." I said as I watched him run off with his friends. I turned around back at Nick who had a serious look on his face. My smile couldn't go away from my face.

"He totally did that on purpose to ask you out." Nick shook his head.

"Yeah, maybe he did maybe he didn't and what ever happened to 'you won't bother me, I won't bother you' promise?" I rolled my eyes playfully.

"I was just warning you. Maybe he's a total jerk." he said.

"And you know that because...?"

"I'm a football player and I'm a jerk." Nick said pointing out the obvious.

"You are?" I asked, being sarcastic. "I'm going back to my room. In case my roommate already got there. Who knows I might be buried in fallen cheerleaders."

"Yeah, you might." he chuckled. "I'm going to just walk around here."

"Okay." I said as I turned around and walked back to the building. I walked up the two flights of stairs as I walked past rooms. I opened the door of my room and looked around. My roommate wasn't around yet. I sat down the bed as I took my guitar out of the case and settled it onto my lap.

I smiled as I stared at it. It was my life and I don't know what I would do without it. I realized I haven't finished the song I was writing and decided to continue it now. I took out my notebook and my pen. It was needing a bridge to end the song. I played the song from the beginning, pressing each chord right, singing quietly, following the lyrics I written.

I wrote down each lyrics I came up with along with the chords that would go with it. I played each line of the song, checking if it would go perfectly with the whole song. I sighed happily as I realized it was almost finished. I glanced at my phone and Selena still didn't leave a message. I sighed, missing her more. I wrote down the last lines of the songs and played them from the beginning again.

The room was filled with music and I smiled at how the song turned out to be. The door suddenly opened making me jump a little. A dark haired girl appeared in the doorway with her luggages. She had a smile on her face as she looked around, her eyes landing on me.

"Hi. I'm Mandy. You must be Milly, my new roommate?" she asked as she put her hand out, making her way to my bed.

I put on my smile on my face as I shook her hand. "It's Miley." I giggled. "Nice to meet you." I said.

"Nice to meet you too." she replied. "Wow, you play guitar?"

"Yeah, um. It's nothing." I smiled.

"Well I play guitar too! That's cool." Mandy giggled as she sat down beside me. "I have a feeling we're going to be great friends."

"Yeah." I giggled.

"So have you looked around the campus?" she asked.

"Yes, I did. I actually got into an accident." I said, smiling.

"What accident?" Mandy giggled as she stood up, moving her bags and luggages to her side of the room.

"A football player collided with me." I answered as I settled my guitar against the wall, careful not to let it fall. "But it turned out great 'cause he asked me to hang out with him!" I giggled, like I was talking to Selena.

"Oh my gosh! Who's the dude?" she asked.

"Liam. His name was Liam." I said dreamily.

"Well, that's awesome." she smiled. "Must be cute."

"Oh he is." I smiled. We were acting too girlie girls for college but I was used with Selena. She made me smile whenever she was acting like that. "We're going to be roommates for the next year."

"Uh-huh. That's like rad." Mandy smiled as she walked in the bathroom.

"So do we have classes on the first day?" I asked as I looked around for my schedule that was given to me earlier.

"It says here yes, but we're only going to do introductions. Well that's random." she shrugged her tanned shoulders as she returned the schedule.

"Cool, I guess." I giggled. "Got any plans for today?"

"No, not really. I'm just going to hang out here and stuff." she said. "How about you?"

"No." I smiled. "There's Starbucks across the road. Do you wanna have one later?" I offered as I took the bag of chips inside my bag, opening it as I stuffed chips in my mouth.

"Sure." Mandy said as she roamed around the room. "I'm going to head over my friend's room, if that's alright with you."

"Oh, of course. You go ahead." I smiled as I watched her leave the room.

I flopped back down the bed as I felt the comfort of the soft foam soak in my body. I closed my eyes as I breathed in and out. I heard knocks on the door making me sit up and get the door. Nick stood in front of me, smiling.

"May I help you?" I asked, slowly, sounding really confused.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure, what's up?" I said as I opened the door, letting him come inside.

"I just wanted to ask a few questions."

"What questions? Let me guess, about Selena?" I said, smiling as we sat down the bed.

"Yes. Is she coming back?" he asked, sounding so low.

"Of course." I answered. "She's not going to spend the rest of her life there." I giggled. "you must really miss her, huh?"

"Yeah. I miss the times we just hang out. You know, as friends." he sighed as he kept his eyes on the floor, not bothering to look up at me.

"You annoy me most of the time but you're pretty sweet." I giggled. "She misses you too, Nick. As much as you miss her."

"Everything was going great until we started dating." he sighed.

"That pretty much changes everything." I said. "What happened?"

"Things started to get complicated." Nick mumbled. "Then I realized she was nothing more than a friend."

"That's a little harsh..." I mumbled, looking down.

"I know..." Nick sighed as his eyes roamed around the room, landing on my guitar. He smiled as he stood up from the bed, approaching my guitar. "You play guitar? So do I." he chuckled.

"Yeah, it's my past time." I smiled. "I write songs sometimes. How about you?"

"Only when I'm inspired." he chuckled. "Cool guitar you have there."

"Thanks." I giggled as I stood up from the bed, approaching him. "It was my dad's. This was his favorite guitar so he passed it to me. I don't mind, it's his priced possession." I smiled.

"That's really cool. You and your dad play guitar." he smiled. "What's with the luggages? It's like you're not coming home." Nick chuckled.

"I have like a ton of converse. It's the only thing I wear when in high school. But now I have to train myself to wear heels." I groaned, jumping back on the bed.

"All I wear is converse also. I have like the same pair." he said, referring to the shoes I was wearing at the moment. Hey, we have a lot in common.

I smiled as he sat down beside me, making me look at him in the eyes. He had beautiful chocolate brown eyes and I could feel myself sink into them. "H-Hey, you have brown eyes." I giggled, shyly.

"And you have blue eyes." he smiled, his crooked smile fitting his personality. We stared at each other for a minute that seemed like forever. I snapped out of the gaze as my eyes darted down to the floor making me clear my throat. Nick and I sat for a moment in silence, trying to forget what just happened. "I'm going to go ahead. I-I haven't unpacked yet." he said, standing up.

"Yeah, sure. I'll see you around." I nodded, as I watched him leave the room. What just happened? I was supposed to hate him. He had brown eyes that were gorgeous and every girl would fall for those kind of eyes. I sighed as I reached for my cellphone, vibrating saying that someone was calling. I held the phone against my ear as I answered it.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Miley!" Selena greeted, excitedly through the phone.

"Selena!" I giggled. "Oh my gosh, what's up?"

"Good, I'm settled." she giggled. "I have a roommate, her name's Nicole. She's cool, just like you."

"Mine's cool too. Her name's Mandy." I informed, smiling.

"So, got any news you wanna tell me?" Selena asked, excitedly.

Then it hit me. I have to tell her Nick's my roommate. "Yeah. Major news for me... especially you." I sighed.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nick's room is right across me. He's studying here too." I informed her.

"Nick's your what...?" Selena whispered, confused.

**a/n: sorry it took so long, guys. :) I was just busy from all the homeworks and school thingys. Well, how was the second chapter? Third chapter will be good. :)) reviews make me smiley. - xoxo, Rica.**


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: sorry for the late update. D: I wasn't able to think of the next part of this story so.. yeah. Are my readers still there? Reviews please. (:**

_Can't Have You_

_Chapter Three_

"Nick's my roommate." I said, repeating what I said so Selena would understand. She didn't say a word for a second, trying to regain her composure.

"Oh." was all she said. She didn't sound pissed or mad, but kind of sad for she was in England while I was here, stuck with her ex.

"You're not mad, are you?" I asked, making sure. I made sure I was pressing the phone on my ear securely so I could hear every word she would say.

"Of course I'm not. I mean, it's not your fault that he was assigned right across your room." Selena sighed, making me feel bad. "And it's not your fault that you get to see him everyday for the rest of the year..." she sighed. Okay, she obviously hasn't gotten over Nick. I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"Sel, you're seriously not making me feel bad. You don't expect me to say sorry don't you?" I asked, sighing. It was like I prayed to god that I wanted to be with Nick.

"No, of course not." Selena humphed. "I'm just bummed that you get to see him everday while I don't."

"You guys are over, right? That means you have to get over him. But that doesn't mean I'm going to steal him from you." I said. "I'll never do that to you, Sel. You're my best friend, remember?"

"I guess. I'm sorry, Mi." Selena sighed. "I think it will take me a super long time before I get completely over him. I don't even think I can do it."

"Duh, you can do it. You're Selena Russo. You can do anything right?" I giggled, I can feel her smiling already on the other line.

"Yeah, I'm Selena Russo." she giggled along. "Thanks, Mi. I better go. I have this stupid project to work on. I better get started. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Good luck. Bye, Selly!" I smiled as I pressed the end button. I settled my phone down the nightstand as I glanced out of the window. I wasn't used to being alone in a school where I don't know somebody... except maybe Nick. I stood up, leaning over the open window to get a better view. Liam was outside, sitting under a tree. He looked beautiful under the sunlight.

He looked up, catching my glance. He smiled as he waved at me. Butterflies erupted in my stomach making me blush for he caught me looking at him. I smiled as I waved a small wave at him, giggling. He flashed his pearly whites before looking down at the book he was reading. My body has still an aftershock from the rush earlier. I giggled at myself as I flopped down the bed.

This is not so bad, I can get used to this. My roommate was still MIA. She was probably touring around the school, trying to memorize what room she has to go through every subject. The first day felt like forever. It's like it wasn't ending. I sighed as I turned so I could lie on my belly, hugging the pillow beneath me. I closed my eyes and even though it was 4 in the afternoon, I fell asleep in a snap.

xxx

I yawned as I opened my eyes, groggily, a figure appearing in my vision. It was my roommate Mandy hovering over me, smiling. I sat up, rubbing my eyes as I glanced at the clock. It was already 8 in the evening. I was 4 hours asleep! What the heck happened during the four hours I missed out on?!

"Hey, roomy! You're finally awake." she giggled. "You missed out on quite a lot. All of the students went to the auditorium to have a welcoming discussion and everybody exept you was there. We were trying to wake up but you wouldn't budge. But don't worry, the meeting wasn't really important."

"Wait, what do you mean _we_?" I asked, confused.

"The boy next door. What's his name..." Mandy tried to remember. "Oh! Nick. Is he your boyfriend? He's pretty cute. He kept staring at you when you were sleeping." she giggled making me blush a little.

"No, oh god, no. He's not my boyrfriend." I said. "Why was he staring?! You should've stopped him. I hope I wasn't snoring or my mouth wasn't open."

"Don't worry it wasn't." she giggled. "Listen, all the freshmen students are having dinner together in the club house. No other people are there expet freshmen and they told me to come get you so you up for it?"

"Yeah. That'd be nice. You go ahead. I'll catch up. I gotta take a shower and remove this drool on my cheek." I joked, giggling.

"Just make it quick, okay?" she smiled before walking out of the door. I ran to the bathroom, stripping out of my clothes and stepping into the shower.

Instead of having that extra long shower, I made a quick shower, running shampoo through my hair and soap on my body quickly. Once I was done, I ran towards the closet, almost slipping. I grabbed a dark washed denim shorts and a shirt with The Beatles on it and a peace sign with 1970's on it. I slipped it on as I blow dried my hair, curling it afterwards. I stared at my reflection on the mirror. I looked pretty presentable. Contented with my look, I grabbed my jacket, phone and keys before walking out the door and locking it behind me. I had no idea where that club house was so I had to ask 3 seniors to get there.

The club house was made of wood and it looked so comfy. The freshmen were already laughing, playing guitar and sharing different stories. I walked inside, the warmness of the fireplace hitting my whole body. Everybody's head turned to look at me, stopping their little program. I gave them a small smile before waving awkwardly. "Hey, um. Sorry I'm late. I kind of slept through the whole day." I giggled.

The rest of them chuckled before Mandy approached me. "This is Miley." she said making all of them nod and smile at me. Out of all the people in the room, my eyes landed on Nick. He was smiling warmly at me, making me blush a little. After that, everybody went back to the things they were doing earlier. I sighed in relief as I giggled with Mandy.

"Oh my god that was awkward." I giggled as I linked arms with her.

"Hey, you worked that shirt and shorts girl. Why was that awkward?" she giggled back as we approached a table. Nick was sitting a few tables away from us making me look at him with confusion.

"Um, who are those guys? The guys that are next to Nick." I asked, ignoring her question. She followed my gaze, giving me a cheeky smile.

"That's Drew, David and Jesse. Drew's the coolest." she smiled. I smiled back, ignoring the guys, my eyes on Nick. He caught my gaze making me jump a little. He gave a small wave and a smile. I smiled back, waving. He stood up from his seat and aprroached us, sliding out one of the seats from the table and sitting next to me.

"Hey. You made it." Nick smiled at me.

"Yeah. I could've slept all night you know." I giggled. Mandy's attention was on Drew. She stood up from her seat, showing me her hand and mouthing '5 minutes'. I smiled as I nodded at her, watching her walk away and disappear into the crowd of freshmen students.

"Aah, the kind of sleep when you could just drool all night and day, huh?" he chuckled, agreeing with me. I laughed slightly as he noticed my black shirt with The Beatles on it. He smiled at me, nodding at my shirt. "Cool shirt, where'd you get it? It looks so vintage."

"My dad got this for me. Cool right?" I smiled. "He'd attend concerts of them then bring me home tshirts and CD's and eventually, I became a fan."

"That's great." Nick grinned. "So what kind of music do you do?"

"I'm more into Coldplay and the Killers. Sometimes Maroon 5, mostly John Mayer." I said, proud of my type of music.

"Cool. Me too." he said. "If you look at my room back in Texas, you'd see lots of CD's of John Mayer." Nick chuckled making me smile.

"If you look at my room you'd see lots of guitars and my bed covered in sheet music." I giggled as I played with the fork on the table, scraping it against the plate filled with chicken fingers. I never really liked those stuff.

"Me too! You write songs?"

"Yeah. I write like 2 to 3 songs in a day." I smiled.

"That's amazing. I do to." he smiled back. Wow. We were so alike. It was like he was the boy version of myself. This boy is good. I was supposed to hate him but who would hate him if he was this cute and – wait, not cute. Scratch that. "So, um. Have you eaten already?"

"No. I'm not really that hungry. All I need is liquid and I'm good to go." I giggled. "This is pretty nice. Freshmen hanging around getting to know each other on the first day."

"Yeah." Nick smiled and turned around. The rest of the freshmen were gathered around the fireplace while someone was playing a guitar. Nick held out his hand, smiling. I took it, gladly as we sat next to the others around the fireplace. No wonder Selena fell in love with him. He had such a way with girls.

My cellphone vibrated making me look at it. It was from an unknown number. I read the message making me smile widely at the message on the screen. It was from Liam. I held back the butterflies yet I could still feel it.

_Hey Miley, it's Liam. Remember me? If you don't, I'm the Junior that was a jerk to you because I hit you while playing football. :) text me when you can._

Nick noticed me and peeked at my phone. "Who's that?" he asked, giving me a suspicious look. I shook my head, quickly pressing the reply button and started to type in words. Nick waited patiently for me to show him the phone.

_Hm.. I don't think I do. ;) hey, it's alright. No biggie._

I finally showed Nick to whom it was from. "Liam? The one who collided with you. He's a Junior? Don't you think he's a little too old for you?"

"I don't know. I guess not."

"So you like him because he's some hot football player?"

"No I don't. I'm not that shallow. And who says I like him?" I rolled my eyes at him making him chuckle a little. I looked at him, confused.

"Look at your smile. It's obvious, Mi." he said. I froze when I heard what he called me.

"W-What did you call me?" I asked.

"Mi. Miley." he cleared his throat. "Sorry. I was used to Selena. She kept calling you Mi so I kind of got used to it."

"Hey, it's cool." I smiled at him. "You can call me Mi, Miles or Mi Mi. I don't really mind." I giggled as I stared at the fireplace, the light reflecting my eyes making it golden-blue.

"I think I'll call you Stinky." he chuckled earning a smack from me on the chest. "Ow." he laughed at me. "I thought you said you don't mind?!"

"I only gave you three choices didn't I?" I laughed.

"Fine, you win. Miles it is." Nick smiled at me. I almost got lost in his eyes from staring. I looked away before I could sink into his brown orbs. "Y-You're different Miley... not the girls who would do anything just to make themselves popular but you stick out... naturally and you don't even try. Ever since high school."

"Is that a good thing?" I smiled, blushing.

"Very." he said.

"Well I kinda thought you were this asshole who just cared about making out with girls and playing football and all. But you weren't." I said.

"Selena changed me. She showed me that there was more to life than those things. I found music again that I lost since I entered the team. She was just supposed to be a dare that my friends told me to do. But it turned out she was something more and I couldn't bare hurting her."

"That's so sweet." I smiled. "Hey Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"How come you hated me when Selena was still around?" I asked, sighing. I looked away, my eyes glued to the floor. It was probably my fault because I would always act bitchy around football jocks.

"Because you showed signs that _you _hated _me. _So I stopped being nice. Sometimes I even wonder back then, why would Sel want to be your friend?" he chuckled.

"Yeah." I giggled. "I'm sorry about that. I'm just used to football players being a jerk to me. So every football player I meet or any athlete, I see them as assholes."

"Why won't you give them a chance? I mean, Liam's a football player..."

"He's different." I answered making Nick chuckle.

"How could you tell? You met him earlier." he rolled his eyes playfully at me, chuckling. It was true. But I could tell he was nice.

"Because football players don't just say 'sorry' to you and ask you out for coffee. That makes him different." I said making Nick laugh loudly. "Oh come on! That is not shallow!" I giggled, hitting him slightly on the arm.

"Miles, you really have to start dating. It would help. _A lot._" he said, still laughing.

"I already dated. One heart break is enough." I mumbled, my voice going lower and turning into a whisper.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I was joking." he said making me nod. "So who was the lucky guy?"

"Jake. He was the type of guy who's like a washed up diva but you fall for him anyway. He breaks your heart, you don't mind 'cause you just love him but in the end, he's not after you. He's after your lips, your body..." I trailed off.

"Did he...?" he trailed off also yet I completely understood his question.

"No. He didn't. I broke up once I knew he was planning it right after prom in Senior year. He was an ass anyway. Now I keep asking myself what did I see in him." I sighed.

"That ass. Miley, he needs to be punished. Guys like him need to be thrown into jail." he said, feeling very protective of me. I giggled making him smile a little.

"It was old news. Selena didn't tell you because I didn't want anyone to know..." I said.

"Hope you find the right one, Miles." he smiled at me.

"I hope so too." I giggled.

xxx

"I'll see you tomorrow." Nick said as he waited in the hallway to watch me walk back in the room safely. I smiled as I slid the key inside the door and opening it. "Good night."

"Good night." I smiled. "Nick?"

"Yeah?" he said.

"Thanks for tonight. You know, for letting me know you better." I giggled.

"My pleasure. Thanks also." he smiled.

"Night, Nick." I said before I finally went inside. Mandy wasn't there yet. I flopped down the bed, smiling. I sighed contently as I realized I was with Nick the whole night. It was already 1 in the morning. Classes were up early tomorrow but I didn't care. I closed my eyes, little by little, I fell asleep a smile forming on my lips.

**a/n: sooory! D: I just had a hard time. So Nick and Miley got to know each other better! Niley fluff. :D are my readers still there? Reviews make me smiley. 14-18 reviews for the next chapter! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Oookay. It might seem I'm having a hard time here... I am. Haha. I guess I'll warm up in this story sooner or later. It's kinda stiff working on this story. I will try my best to update soon. :DD**

**(Oh yeah, a reader suggested something to me ; she/he said I make a chapter where it shows Nick's point of view so here it is. :D)**

_Can't Have You ; Chapter Four_

**N I C K : **I walked in my room, the darkness making me even more sleepy. It had been a long night and I spent it with Miley. Sure, we hated each other first but I didn't know her then. She turned out to be a sweet, fun and carefree girl. She was plainly herself and no one else. Just like Selena. She reminded me so much of her. I sighed as I flopped down the bed, groaning, realizing that I missed Selena too much. I wished to be with her tonight and just hold her like I used to.

I closed my eyes, the picture of Selena fading slowly and morphing into... Miley? Wasn't I going too fast? I just got to be with her _today. _It was impossible to start liking her right away but on the other hand, who wouldn't like Miley? She was too bubbly to be sad around with. I tossed and turned, feeling very sleepy though I can't manage to sleep. I sighed but something popped in my head that easily made me doze off to sleep.

Miley was sleeping right across the hallway. I smiled a little as I closed my eyes, making my way to slumberland.

xx

I opened my eyes once the alarm clock started ringing. I smacked the alarm clock to snooze as I closed my eyes, going back to sleep. I opened one eye to peek at the clock and it was already 7:15, class was starting in 15 minutes. I sat up quickly, rushing to the bathroom, nearly tripping on my own foot. I stripped off my clothes in a flash, taking a super quick shower before running to the closet, not bothering to wipe my wet body properly. I grabbed a striped polo shirt and dark washed jeans.

Wiping myself with the towel, I slipped on my underwear and my picked clothes. I quickly grapped a pair of socks, slipping it on as I walked over where my Converses were. I grabbed my backpack and folders before wearing my green chucks. I managed to airdry my hair using the airconditioner before running out the room. I realized my roommate was up already and gone. I bumped into several students before making it to the Science lab.

The teacher wasn't there yet making me sigh in relief. I looked around the room, trying to look for an empty seat and a student without a partner. My eyes landed on a familiar brunette sitting by herself, drawing a face on a piece of paper as she sat down the stool by the window. The light shined down from the window on her making her look like an angel. I made my way to Miley making her look up at me.

"Morning, Nicholas." Miley smiled at me genuinely before turning her attention back to the piece she was drawing. "You look like you were chased by cows." she giggled as she scribbled at the paper, sketching details.

"Morning." I smiled back. "Yeah, I woke up real late. I kept on snoozing my alarm clock. College is so frantic." I groaned as I settled my backpack down the floor and sitting next to her as I leaned on the table.

"Well yeah, they expect us to be more mature." she said. "I didn't know you have Genetics with me. You didn't tell me." Miley smiled as she picked up the unfinished drawing and inserting it into a folder before putting it into her bag.

"I didn't know either. That makes two of us." I chuckled. "So did you talk to Liam already?" I asked her, curious about her and him. She was sorta crazy about him, I could tell.

"I didn't see him today." she sighed. "Maybe I should forget about it. It was an accident so he didn't _mean _to meet me or to know me. To me it's a big deal but to him maybe it's not. He's a junior. There are a lot of others out there so what's the point of choosing me?"

"You're such a girl, Mi." I joked, chuckling.

"I am a girl, what do you expect?" she giggled.

"Maybe he just needs to spend a little more time with you then he'd get to know you better. And so what if it was an accident. I didn't mean to meet Selena either. I just spilled spoiled milk on her and accidentally dumped tofu dogs on her but we still managed to be together." I shared, smiling making Miley snort.

"Oh my gosh, you did that to Sel?" Miley laughed. "That is such a dork move, Nick. I thought you were smooth as ice?" she said, gliding her hand in the air for effects.

"Yeah 'cause some boys were having some sort of rampage so I accidentally knocked my lunch on her." I said, laughing along.

"And the spoiled milk?" she arched her eyebrow.

"That came from the boys." I chuckled. The professor suddenly entered, a blank expression on his face making all of us shut up. He started scribling his name on the whiteboard as he faced us, pronouncing his name properly.

"Professor Hutcher. Good morning freshmen." he said smoothly. Wow, this was some teacher. He was wearing a brown coat and black slacks. His hair was brushed back and he looked like a doctor and a lawyer than a teacher. "I dislike distractions and I loathe students who do not pay attention in my class so I suggest you sit properly, keep your eyes on me and the board and keep away everything that is not related with my class. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." we said in chorus, terrified. Miley looked at me nervously and I returned the same look. So far, I hate college.

xx

We were walking through the hallway, 2 periods down – not to mention terrifying periods. It was finally lunch time. My favorite subject. Everyone was making their way to the cafeteria, wanting to know what was for lunch today.

"Oh my gosh. I almost died in there." Miley giggled as we approached her locker. She unlocked the locker before stuffing her books inside. She was completely organized. Her locker was mess-free making me smile.

"Me too. Almost all of the teachers are like that. Creepy." I asked as I watched her close the locker and stuff another book in her bag. We were walking to the other side of the hallway to my locker. I opened mine and was embarrassed when a sandwhich fell down. Miley laughed slightly making me blush a little. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Nick, you gotta arrange your locker." Miley giggled as she took all of my books and threw the sandwhich in the nearby trash can. "First, you arrange your books by class. Your first class is Chemistry so put your book here on the first row and so on." she said, handing me my books.

"But I'm a guy. I don't really care if my stuff is messy or what not." I said, stuffing my books back in, not arranging it like Miley said. Selena never really cared so why should she?

"Fine. Have it your way. I'm just saying." she rolled her eyes. Here we go again, we were arguing over something stupid again. We were friends now and I have to protect that though I don't know the complete reason why.

"Look, why won't we just eat lunch before we end up hating each other again." I said, grabbing her hand, pulling her to the cafeteria to get some food.

"Wait, did I _say _that we like each other already?" she pulled her hand away, rolling her eyes at me as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Miley, you're acting like a brat again. Of course you didn't _say _so but you _show _it." I said, making her arms drop down to her sides. "I'm right, right?"

"I'm sorry. God, I gotta start changing." she groaned as we walked in the cafeteria, standing in line to get the food. "No wonder those juniors and seniors don't like me. I'm 'immature' for them." Miley sighed as she got a tray, placing a bowl of salad and macaroni and cheese.

"How do you know?" I asked, placing a burger and a can of coke on my tray. We found an empty table in the middle of the cafeteria. Miley pulled out a chair as she sat down. I sat down beside her as I watched her play with her salad.

"Because you said so." she sighed. "Now I don't care anymore. I'm gonna focus on my studies." Miley smiled at me.

"That's the best you can do for now." I chuckled at her. I heard someone clear his throat behind me making us look up at him. Liam was holding his tray, smiling at us. Great. Mr. Dreamy's here. Hooray.

"Mind if I join you guys?" he asked, looking at Miley. Her eyes lit up automatically, a huge grin appearing on her face. Liam smiled back.

"Sure." Miley said.

"Cool." he said as he pulled out a chair, sitting next to Miley. He popped a french fry in his mouth as Miley ate her salad. I just played with my burger, sipping a few sips of coke every now and then.

"So, um. Are you busy later?" Liam asked Miley making her look up from her salad. The way she looked at him, as if she really knows he was her prince charming. That was the way I used to look at Selena. Boy, did I miss her.

"No, not really. Why?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you wanna catch a movie or something later after school if you don't have any homework or something." he said, hopefully. Miley smiled at him, glad that he was finally asking her to hang with him.

"Oh. Yeah. Um, I would love to." She answered making Liam smile widely also. I rolled my eyes inwardly, thinking this was gay and why does he have to do it in front of me. He could ask Miley later when she's alone.

"Hey, I'm not really hungry. I'll catch up later." I said, standing up and grabbing my tray. Liam looked satisfied that I was finally leaving. Miley quickly pulled me, not wanting me to leave.

"Nick, you didn't even eat a bite. Come on, Mr. Cranky Pants. Sit down and stay." she ordered, as Liam stared thoughtfully at me, hoping I would leave.

"No, really Mi. I'm not that hungry. I'll catch up with you later." I said, looking back at Liam and Miley before placing my tray back on the table and finally leaving. "I don't know what Miley sees in him. What a girl." I said to myself, stomping towards my locker.

**M I L E Y : **I looked at Nick's leaving figure and at his tray of food that wasn't even touched. I sighed, wondering what has gotten into that boy. Liam waved his hand in front of my face, chuckling making me snap out of my thoughts. He had blue-green eyes that was so mysterious, and at the same time, breath-taking.

"I'm sorry." I giggled. "You were saying?"

Liam chuckled at me. "I said, are you and Nick like best friends? When I see you in the school grounds looks like you guys are best friends forever." he said, with a light laugh.

"Oh. Me and Nick? Nick and I? What? No. Psh. 'course not. Why'd you think that." I said, trying my best so he'd buy it. It was true. We weren't best friends. Not friends either. We were just on the first step.

"You guys seem close." he said. "and you guys are always having fun when together."

"Not really." I shrugged, chugging the whole bottle of water down. I settled it down the table, before continuing on. "He used to be my enemy before though." I giggled, remembering the times I'd roll my eyes at him in front of Selena and other kinds of insulting gestures I could possibly think of.

"Really?" he chuckled. "then you guys became friends. That's good."

"Actually, he's my best friend's ex-boyfriend." I said, looking down and playing with the salad again. I didn't eat either. I wasn't feeling like it. Maybe that was what Nick felt. "They broke up just a couple of months ago and my best friend – Selena is still devastated. She went to boarding school in England for college and I went here. Turns out, her ex – Nick, also is going here."

"Ha. Small world." he said. "let me guess, you didn't take it too well, did you?"

"No, I didn't." I giggled. "Remember when you met me? I was walking out from him that time. God, was he annoying." I said, still giggling.

"I can't agree to you on that." Liam said, shaking his head as he placed a fry on his mouth. I gave him a confused look. "If he wasn't annoying, you wouldn't walk out and I wouldn't have met you." he smiled.

I blushed, my cheeks turning pink. "Yeah, right." I rolled my eyes, playfully, hitting him on the arm slightly. "You didn't _mean _to meet me. If you _meant _to meet me, you would've approached me yourself and introduced me to you, not waiting for me to bump into you. Right?" I asked.

"Yes, but that's a different thing. You know, you could be so defensive about the things you believe in." Liam chuckled. "but that's a good thing."

"I stand up for what I believe in, in short." I smiled. "And, you're different from all those boys in the football field. They talk to girls, sexually. You know what I'm saying? But you talk to me, just to make friends. I feel it."

"'Sexually'?" he repeated, laughing. I gave him a slight punch on the arm. "Okay, okay. I get what you mean. Remember, those guys out there – those other guys, they won't really love you for _real. _They don't know anything about 'sparks' when you kiss or that 'butterflies' in the stomach when they hold hands and all those other stuff."

"How come _you _know all of that? Oh my god, are you gay?" I joked, laughing.

"I am not." he said, firmly as he chuckled. "I just feel it too. But I don't admit to girls. It would be like, weird if you tell your girlfriend 'I felt sparks when we kissed last night' or 'my stomach has butterflies! What do I do?! What do I do?!'" he said, imitating girls as best as he can.

"Yeah, that would be weird. Not to mention gay. Very gay." I laughed, and he joined in. talking to him was like blinking your eyes. No effort or you're not trying to stop it. You just do. And that was the feeling I loved the most.

**N I C K : **Lunch was over and soon, the end of the day came. Everyone was inside their rooms doing God knows what and I was outside, walking around and breathing the fresh air of the night. The sky was pure black and starless. It wasn't beautiful at all. There weren't stars to light up the dark sky. I walked around the lawn, when I saw someone seated at the bench near the light post. She was holding a sketch pad and her head was bowed down.

I approached her and realized it was Miley all along. I smirked to myself, deciding to give her a quick scare. I walked around the back, walking behind the bench. I grabbed her shoulders, quickly making her shriek and jump. She looked back at me, a terrified expression playing on her face until she realized it was me.

"What the _hell, _Nick!" Miley shouted, hitting me with the sketch pad she was holding. She hit me over and over again until I couldn't breathe from laughing anymore. "You think that was funny?! What if that was some murderer or something you think that would be funny?"

"But it wasn't, right? It was me." I chuckled at her, sitting down the bench. "Chill. I was just wondering why you're out here in 9 in the evening. You're supposed to be doing homework in your room." I scolded.

"But you're not either. I'm just trying to finish this portrait. It's coming along now. All it needs are the details and I'll just add some color for the finishing touch." she smiled at me, proud of her work.

"Who is that anyway? Your brother or cousin?" I asked her, peeking at her drawing, continuing to sketch small details on the boy's face. "He looks good."

"Thanks." Miley smiled. "It's Liam, actually. He looks beautiful, doesn't he?" she smiled wider. I regretted I just said that. "It would be even more beautiful if I added color on his eyes. It would be blue-green and mysterious and just amazing."

"Oh. Are you going to give that to him?" I asked her, watching the drawing morph into a face – Liam's face. Psh. I repeat. She was such a girl. But, her drawing skills are unbelievable. It would be an honor if she drew me – not that I wanted to. Just an honor.

"No. that would be weird. I'm going to keep it. Instead of taking a picture of him, I drew him. I thought it would be better." Miley said, smiling as she watched the picture turn into his beautiful face.

"You're talented, Mi. it's beautiful. You could probably sell that." I said, smiling at her. Her blue eyes lit up from each compliment and whenever the name Liam was mentioned.

"I wouldn't sell it even if they gave me a zillion bucks. I'm keeping this." Miley said with a small giggle. "I think I'd put it on my nightstand when it's finished."

"You –," I said, getting cut off when my phone rings. "excuse me. Just a minute." I said, sliding the phone out of my pocket. It was from an unknown number. I scrunched my forehead in confusion. "Hello?" I answered.

"Nicky? It's me, Selena." she sighed.

**a/n: so so sorry for the late update. I was busy with cheerleading for our upcoming sports fest and volleyball trainings. :\ anyhoo, need feedbacks. More reviews, please? :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know, I know. I haven't updated since forever. -sigh- I am sorry. D: I'm really having a tough time at school and everything. I'm trying my best to update, though. I hope I'm not losing readers. :)**

_Can't Have You ;_

_Chapter Five_

**N I C K : **my breath was caught in my throat, making me unable to speak. Selena's voice cut my heart like a razor. It was heartbreaking. I missed her so much. Yet, there was something missing. And I know that was the main reason why we broke up. That flame of love we used to feel started fading and soon, it was gone. Gone like a bonfire spilled with water. She was waiting for me to speak. I opened my mouth, wanting to say something though nothing was coming out.

"Nick? I know. You probably don't want to talk to me but I'm not calling because I miss you or like that... but yes I do miss you. I called because I wanted to tell you something." Selena said, her voice sounding so soft and careful. It hit me. Say something, Nick. Anything.

"No, no. I do want to talk to you. It's just, you know. It's been a while." I managed to say something. Smooth, Nick. Keep it up. I cleared my throat before continuing. "So what is it that you want to say?"

"Oh. Um, I wanted to say that just because we're over, doesn't mean we can't be friends." she breathed out. There was a long pause. "And I want you to do me a favor. It's just a light one, don't worry."

"Sure. Um, what is it?"

"Keep an eye on Miley. I want you to take care of her. I want you to treat her like your own sister or best friends. She's my only best friend. When I'm not there, I want you to be her shoulder." Selena said, sincerely. She was so sweet.

"Of course. I can do that." I said, nodding though she can't see me. "We're getting along now quite well. She was nicer than I thought she was." I said with a slight chuckle making her giggle along.

"That's good to hear. She's amazing once she gets comfortable around you." she smiled on the other line. "But, Nick. You didn't say anything about the first thing I told you."

"Oh. Um, of course." I said. "I'd love to be friends again." I could sense her smiling on the other line. She was kind of relieved. "So, um. How's England? Anything exciting happened to you already? Like meeting someone?..." I trailed off, my heart pounding a little more than usual.

"No, um. I'm focusing on my studies. And besides, one heart break is enough for a year or so." she said with a small, uncomfortable giggle. "How 'bout you? Things going great?"

"Yeah, um. I'm getting the hang of it." I chuckled. "Things were a lot better in high school. Way better. I just wish I could be a senior forever." I sighed. I heard shuffling in the background. Selena must be in a cafe in England when I heard a woman shout out a 'Latte for Natalie!' in a british accent.

"I know," she sighed. "If only we could be high schoolers again, right?" Selena giggled. "Nick? I really hope you keep your promise. Both promises."

"I will, Sel. Don't worry." I smiled.

"Thank you, Nick." I can feel her smiling on the other line. "Well, I gotta get going. My class starts in ten minutes. It's really nice hearing your voice again, Nick. I'll call you soon."

"It's good to hear your voice too, Sel. I miss you." I admitted, sighing. "I really really miss you. Visit when you can, okay?"

"I will," she promised. "I miss you too, Nick. Hope you don't think I'm too forward or anything. But if it matters, I've moved on a little quicker than I thought I would." Selena said through the phone.

"Th-That's good to hear." I stuttered. "I don't think you're forward. I think what you did was right and sweet." I chuckled. "You're probably going late. I'll expect your calls, Sel. Call me when you need anything." I said.

"Will do, Nick. Bye." she said, giggling before hanging up.

I went back to Miley, sitting down beside her. "Selena called." I said, making her glance up from her sketch, a smile forming on her face. "She just wanted to be friends again, that's all." I explained.

"That's good." Miley smiled, flashing her beautiful smile. "What did she say? Is she feeling better already?"

"Yeah, she moved on quickly. Which is a good thing." I said. "And she wanted me to look out for you. She said that I should be your best friend since Selena isn't here."

"Hey, no need for you to get all babysitter-ish with me. I'm a big girl. I can handle myself." Miley winked at me, smiling as she went back to sketching.

I held my hands up in surrender. "I know, I know." I chuckled, making her giggle along. "I just want to be your friend, that's all." I said, smiling. Miley smiled back, her genuine smile gorgeous even though it was already really late at night.

"I know, Nick." she said. "I thought you already know. You are my friend." she giggled, looping her arm through mine. "Do you miss it?" she asked, glancing at me and settling down the sketch pad at the edge of the bench.

"Miss what?" I asked, confused.

"The high school life." she answered. "I miss being that carefree teenage girl. Don't you? College is so hectic."

"Of course I miss it." I said. "I miss it a lot."

Miley smiled at me, leaning her head on my shoulder as she stared out the midnight sky. "If only we could..." she sighed. I closed my eyes, wishing the same thing. I looked at Miley and her eyes were closed. She was beautiful and peaceful. Like a fallen angel. Her eyes opened and she looked up at me. "What'd you wish for?"

***

I sighed, lying down the bed, putting my hands behind my neck for support. I stared at the ceiling, Selena's voice still ringing through my ears. It was like music to me. I did miss her. But I don't love her anymore. That spark just faded. I still love her as a sister, though. I care deeply for her and if she ever got in trouble, I would be there. She had been a part of my life and always will be. And Miley... there was something about her. Something I want to know and be a part of.

I closed my eyes, tightly. Liam and Miley are probably out having a good time right now. I sighed, opening my eyes slightly. Liam seemed to be a nice guy, even I can tell that but I'm sure she needed someone... better. Not just a football jock. He must've scored many girls already. A girl like Miley needed better, like a friend – full time friend and part time lover. Yeah, that was what she needed.

***

It was already seven in the morning and everyone was making their way to their classes, trying not to be late. I saw Miley walking to her locker, she was wearing a pink shirt that glowed through the hallway. I approached her, poking her sides making her jump a little. "Hey Mi." I smiled making her giggle. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"Of course you didn't," she said, smiling. "So what's your first class?"

"Physics," I answered. "You?"

"Same class." Miley said, shaking her head. "Guess I'm stuck with you." she joked, giggling making me ruffle her hair like a little boy. She escaped, annoyed at the fact that I just destroyed her appearance. "ugh, Nick! You ruined my hair." she rolled her eyes.

"you ruined my mood," I said, smirking.

She made a random, irritated face at me, sticking her tongue out. "You're lucky Selena asked a favor to you. Or else I probably would've killed you right now." Miley said, smirking as she held her books closely to her chest.

"Psh. Can you?" I chuckled.

"I can't. I'll hire a hitman." she giggled.

***

It was lunch time already and all the students were busy eating their lunches, filling up their starving bellies. Miley and I stayed at the school garden, a bag of sandwiches, a box of grapes and two cans of sodas in our hands. We were sitting underneath a tree and no one was around. Miley was currently trying to shoot a grape to her mouth. She throws a grape in the air every now and then and tries catching it with her mouth. She fails though making me laugh.

"Let the expert do it." I laughed as I grabbed a grape, throwing it in the air and catching it with my mouth. It went straight to my mouth making Miley laugh along. "I am the man." I chuckled.

"Yeah, well that was just a coincidence." she giggled, trying it one more time. Surprisingly, she caught one. She danced in her seat, laughing. "Ha! I caught one! Beat that curly dude." she joked making me laugh.

"I will beat that. You want me to catch 3?" I chuckled.

"Do it." she challenged.

I threw one grape then caught it with my mouth, the second grape was in the air and I caught it again. The third grape fell in my mouth without effort making Miley stare at disbelief. She laughed, not wanting to challenge me anymore.

"Fine!" she said, throwing her hands in the air. "You are dah man." Miley giggled. "Okay, so if you can catch grapes with your mouth, can you catch a sandwich?" she asked.

"Only if it's in really tiny pieces." I chuckled. I watched as Miley threw a grape at my direction, hitting me on the nose making her burst out laughing. "What the!"

"Oh my god! That was hilarious! You sh-should've seen your f-face!" she said, laughing so hard that she held her stomach in pain. Her laugh sounded funny but cute at the same time – it was contagious that was for sure. I glared at her playfully making her stop laughing. "Hey, that was funny!"

"How'd you like it when you get hit by a grape?" I said, throwing a grape at her, hitting her on the cheek. She gasped, laughing as she grabbed a grape hitting me on the eye. "Ow!" I yelled, holding my eye in pain. She instantly stopped laughing.

"Oh, gosh. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!" she exclaimed, rushing towards me to see if I'm okay. I kept my head down, still holding my eye. "Nick, I'm sorry. Does it hurt?"

"Yeah, um. I think I feel like doing this." I said, quickly grabbing her waist, making her laugh, screaming. I squeezed it tightly making it hard for her to laugh. She started kicking, though my arms remained wrapped around hers, tightly.

"Come on, Nick! Let loose!" she giggled, slapping my arms.

"No, not until you pay for what you did." I said, chuckling.

"I think this is enough!" she exclaimed, giggling. She kicked, making me lose balance. I fell down making me grip on Miley as she fell down also. "ow! Nicholas, that hurt." she said, looking at her elbow that just hit the ground.

"And you're heavy." I said, hardly breathing making her giggle.

"Oh yeah?" she smirked. "then I should stay here and torture you."

"That wouldn't be a problem." I smirked back.

"mm. I think it's a problem."

"Really? Why?" I asked.

"Because I think you're not tortured enough." she giggled.

"I am." I grunted when she accidentally elbowed my stomach when she got up. "ow, careful there. My stomach's going to blow up."

"That will be a good scene." Miley laughed.

"Yeah. Intestines everywhere. Pretty."

we laughed until our bellies hurt. Then, it was class time. The rest of the day ended like every other day ends. Random and filled with laughs. I was with Miley the whole time though she left her room with Liam on 6 p.m. Liam was taking her out to this restaurant near the beach. It was romantic... sure. Whatever.

***

**M I L E Y : **I walked towards the door, Liam standing behind me. His beautiful smile never really left since this morning. We were out for dinner in a nice, cozy restaurant near the LA beach. It was sorta like a fairytale. My smile never really left also. He kept telling about his life during high school. He told stories about his past girlfriends. He had seven, which is not surprising. He is a football jock after all. I leaned my back against the door, so I was facing him. I smiled at him, slightly.

"I had fun, thank you." I said, rocking back and forth with my heels. "It was um... romantic?" I stated, more of a question. He gave out a small chuckle which sounded like music to my ears.

"It is romantic. It's supposed to be that way." he gave a small wink making me blush. He was so charming. "I had fun also. You're different, Miley... I can feel it." Liam said, sincerity audible in his voice.

"In a good way?" I bit my lower lip, still rocking back and forth – my mannerism whenever I was nervous. It never left me. Ever since first grade, when I have to dance for a number, I rock back and forth first before dancing. I guess it grew up with me.

"In a _very _good way." Liam smiled at me. "I hope I can take you out again. Can I?"

"Of course." I smiled back. "Thank you, really." we paused. There was a short, comfortable silence. I cleared my throat, breaking it. "I really need to get in. it's 10 in the evening and we have classes tomorrow."

"Oh. um. Me too. I'll see you around, then. I had a good time." he said. I held onto his shoulders for supports as I tip-toed, kissing him softly on the cheek. I smiled as I watched him walk off the other direction leaving me smiling to myself like a complete idiot. I heard someone clear his throat from the left side. Nick was standing there.

**N I C K : **she was smiling like she had the time of her life as she leaned against the door. She was wearing dark washed jeans and a white top with ruffles on it. I cleared my throat making her jump a little. "Hey Nicholas." she smiled. "Were you there the whole time?"

"Kind of." I chuckled. "I was making my way to my room when I saw you. I didn't want to disturb you guys." I said, smiling.

"It's okay. You could've just walked."

"Didn't wanna spoil your moment." I winked. "So how was the dinner date?"

"Like a fairytale." she smiled, dreamily.

Then, I felt for the very first time, my heart crack a little.

**a/n: sorry for the suckish chapter. o_O anyway, can I have more reviews this time? 14-18 for the next chapter! :DD thank you.**


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n: finally! An update! :D are you guys still interested? I hope you guys still are. It's getting good. Haha. So I kinda forgot if Liam was a senior here or a junior so starting now, he's a junior. Ugh, so unprofessional. :| Review and enjoy. :)**

_Can't Have You ;  
Chapter Six_

**Nick: **I stared at Miley, a small smile on my lips just to let her know I was happy for her and Liam. They were going to end up together in the end and from the way they look at each other, it was like they were lost in each other's eyes. Miley smiled back, letting out a sigh of contentment. "Tonight was an amazing night. A junior! He actually took me to another date. I hope I don't blow this one. So far, I like him. He seems... different than the rest of the guys in the football team," she grinned at me as she hugged her purse to her chest.

"Um, I'm happy for you," I faked a smile. "I'm pretty sure he likes you back. I mean, who wouldn't like you, right?" I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets as my eyes travelled from the floor and back to her.

"You really think so?" she smiled at me, her eyes twinkling with excitement as I nodded. "Well thank you," Miley giggled. There was a long pause and we stood there, just looking at the floor. Seconds later, Miley broke the silence. "It's late, you know. Why are you still up?"

"Insomnia, I guess," I chuckled. "I couldn't sleep so I decided to walk around the campus for a while. I'm still adjusting. I'm used to my room so I find it weird sleeping in the dorm."

"Me too," she nodded. "I want to go home by night. I'm used to seeing my family everyday and before sleeping. I really don't know anyone here. Well, except you. I mean, not really. You were Selena's boyfriend," Miley shrugged.

"We're not complete strangers to each other," I said, letting out a soft laugh. "So if you need anything, feel free to come to me." Miley smiled, showing her pearly white teeth.

"Thank you. You too," she answered. "I gotta go. It's late and we have classes tomorrow. So goodnight, Nick." Miley said before opening her door.

"Sure. Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow," I smiled at her as I watched her walk in her room. I turned around and walked inside my room, slipping off my jacket.

I collapsed on my bed, feeling the warmth of the bed soak in my body. I crawled into the covers, not bothering to slip off my shoes. I closed my eyes, trying to finally get some decent sleep. Selena's face filled my thoughts as I wondered where she was right now and what she's doing. I wondered if she was seeing someone or made new friends already. And I wondered if she was thinking of me. I miss her and I couldn't help but worry about her. Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep. And strangely enough, Miley was the last person I thought about before falling asleep.

xxx

I walked down the hallway, trying to spot Miley by her locker. I approached her as I saw her standing by her locker, reading a book. She looked up, closing the book and placing it inside her locker. "Hey," she smiled, swinging her bag to her shoulders. Her hair was worn in a side ponytail, showing her beautiful features.

"Hey," I smiled back. "Got any plans after school?" I asked as I leaned against her locker. I suddenly felt the urge to ask. I knew Liam probably asked her already but it wasn't bad to try, right?

"No, actually," she said. "You wanna hang out later? I could use the company," Miley offered, smiling before putting her books inside her bag.

"I'd love to. I was just about to ask you," I chuckled as I shifted my weight from my left foot to my right foot. "We can go to the movies or something. I'll pick you up at eight?" I asked.

"Sure. But we have to see if we don't have paperworks or something. Like I said, college can be hectic," Miley smiled before we started walking down the hallway.

"I'm surprised you have no plans with Liam today," I said, gripping the straps of my backpack as I tried to dodge the people that was going my way.

"He has football practices and extra credits to do so we can only hang out on the weekends. I completely understand, I mean, he is the football captain and all," Miley said as she shrugged.

"So are you guys dating now?" I asked, clearing my throat.

"I don't know," she giggled, softly. "I guess so. But it's only been days so I guess we're just really close friends," Miley answered, shrugging again. "I don't really know him that well and he still has a lot to learn about me but it feels like we've know each other for years. And I just feel comfortable around him like he was my best friend ever since we were in kindergarten or something."

"But you want to date Liam right?"

"I don't really know, Nick. I've only known him for like ten days and I still don't know the _real _Liam. You know, behind that quarterback image, I know there's still so much to know about him," Miley answered. "I'll tell you when like months passed," she winked, giggling.

"Well that's great. Some other girls only date guys because they're quarterbacks or captain of the basketball team. You look at the other side of the person and that's... different," I smiled at her, her cheeks flushing making her look even more breath taking.

"Hey, I grew up in Tennessee. I don't care if you can catch an oval ball and run around a field. I can do that, for your information," Miley bragged making me laugh. She whacked me in the arm making me laugh more. "What the heck is so funny?"

"Mi, football isn't that easy. Only men can play that sport. Did you ever see a football team of girls? Of course, not. They can easily get hurt," I said, chuckling. Miley stopped in her tracks, crossing her arms across her chest. "What?"

"We're not as 'fragile' as you guys think. Don't underestimate girl, boy," Miley smirked and we continued to walk to our classroom. "Besides, football isn't all about tackling and screaming and bumping and bragging. It's all about strategy, speed and prescence of mind," she said.

"You can't do it, Mi. it would hurt you," I said, chuckling lightly.

"Wanna bet?" she smirked. "Later after the football team's practice in the field, we're going to play, okay?" Miley said. "If I win, you jump in the pool with your clothes on tomorrow morning."

"Alright. If I win, you're going to do my homework for three days since you're a straight A student. Is that a deal?" I smirked and Miley immediately nodded.

"Deal. Oh and tomorrow, don't forget to bring some extra clothes," she giggled as we walked into our classroom. "And by the way, by the time the football team's done, the sun's setting and it will almost be dark."

"That's okay. Football games are held at night, remember?" I chuckled as we sat down our usual seats. I was behind her and she turned around so we could still see each other while talking.

"Yeah, yeah," Miley smiled. "Hey Nick, you were a football player right? Since you were a sophomore?" she asked and I nodded. "Why don't you try out? I hear you're an awesome player. The team could use someone like you."

"Nah. College is different from high school. It's busier now and the opponents are three times bigger and stronger so..." I shrugged. Miley opened her mouth to say something when the professor walked in. She turned around, her back facing me as the lesson started and it will not end till the next hour.

xxx

**Miley: **I walked through the hallway and into my room to get ready when I saw Mandy on her laptop. I sat down next to her exhaling. She glanced at me, smiling. "Tough day?" she asked as I lied down on my back. "I know. I'm having one, too," she sighed, closing her laptop and putting it away. I didn't get much chance to talk to Mandy and get to know her more. She lied down next to me as we stared at the ceiling.

"I wanna go back to high school," I whined, placing a pillow on top of my face and squeezing it. "Maybe college isn't for me. Sure, I wanna be a fashion designer but can't I just start designing and open my own clothing line?"

"No, you can't," Mandy giggled. "It's not as easy as it looks. My aunt's a fashion designer and trust me, it's no joke. It's going to be cool, give it time. It's only been a week," she said as she sat up, walking to her bag and grabbing a pack of gummy worms.

"That's my point. It's only been a _week_. I think I'm gonna go berserk when it reaches months. And in case you forgot, this is going to go on for _four years_," I groaned as I sat up and dug my hand in the pack of gummy worms, stuffing some in my mouth.

"Think of it this way, how come the football players survived college? They have inspiration and that is football. Your inspiration is your own clothing line. Sacrifice the four years and bam! You're going to get to have your own line of Miley clothes," Mandy giggled as she stuffed more gummy worms in her mouth. I stayed quiet for a while, trying to absorb what she had said.

"Thanks, Mandy. That helped a lot," I smiled at her as I walked to my closet.

"It's no big," she winked before walking next to me. "What are you looking for?" Mandy asked before leaning against the closet.

"I'm looking for my sweatpants and my lucky white v-neck shirt. I must've left it in my suitcase," I said before racing over my suitcase and opening it. Some clothes were still left there and I saw my sweatpants and my lucky v-neck. "There you are," I smiled before walking heading over the shower. I slipped off my jeans and my blouse, almost tripping over the rug. I wore the sweatpants and my v-neck, walking out of the room. I tied my hair neatly in a side ponytail before adding some powder on my face.

"What's going on?" Mandy asked as she jumped on her bed. "Got a date?... in sweatpants?" she giggled. "You could've worn something more, I don't know, proper."

"It's not a date. I'm going with Nick. I'm in sweatpants because we're going to play football in the field," I said, throwing my clothes inside the hamper.

"Why?" she giggled.

"Because we made a bet. Nick said girls can't play football. Hey, I stand up for what I believe in and before I knew it, we had a bet. If I win, he's going to jump in the pool with his clothes on tomorrow. And if he wins, I'm going to do his homework for the next three days." I said, smiling.

"Well goodluck on that," Mandy giggled. "I'll be right here by the time you get back. You guys have fun on your date!" she said.

"It's not a date!" I called out before leaving the room. Nick was standing outside his room, smiling. "Hey. You must've heard what Mandy said, don't mind her. She's kinda crazy." I giggled. "How long have you been standing there?"

"A while." Nick chuckled. "You ready to go? The football team's done. I checked earlier," he said as he threw the football up and down in his hands.

"Yeah. Cool. Let's go," I said as we walked through the hallway. "Am I in the right clothes? I mean, I know we're going to be in those big protective gears so I just chose to be in sweatpants," I giggled.

"We're not going to wear those. We're just simply going to throw the ball and catch it but we have to make touchdowns," Nick said and I nodded. I have no idea how to play the game so I had to pay attention to what Nick is saying. I didn't say I _know _how to play football. I just said girls _can _do it. Not just boys. We walked through the school campus and made our way to the football field. Nobody was around and the lights were on.

"So this is where it all happens," I said as I looked around. It was huge here and the grass was greener than ever. The bleachers were high and wide and it could around two hundred people or something. "Okay, how does this work?" I asked, smiling.

"I thought you knew how to play football?" Nick smiled at me, raising his eyebrow.

"I said I _can_ play football. I don't _know _how to play it... if that makes sense." I said, shrugging. "So I have to get this football over there?" I asked as I pointed at the other side of the field.

"Yeah, but the field's too big for just two players. We're just going to play on this side." he said as he walked away from me and onto the middle of the field, placing a ruler on the grass. "This is going to be my base. For me to score the point, I have to get the ball across this line." he said before walking back to me. "This is your base. You also have to get the ball across this line to score. Do whatever you can to protect the ball. Clear?" Nick asked.

"Yes, sir," I nodded, giggling. "You're not gonna tackle me are you? We're not wearing any protective suits. You know, the ones football players wear."

"No, I'm not. Don't worry," I chuckled. "But I am going to get that ball from you."

"Okay, maybe now's the time to back out," I smiled nervously. "Please don't hurt me," I giggled as I took the ball from Nick. "Okay, you can do this, Mi. You won't do Nick's homework. You won't do Nick's homework," I whispered to myself.

"I won't hurt you, Miley," Nick chuckled. "You ready?"

"I guess," I gulped as I held onto the ball tightly. "No rules, okay? I don't know the rules and stuff like that. I'm just going to run and throw the ball to my base," I said as I positioned in front of Nick, gripping the ball tightly.

"Sure. Do it your way," he let out a small laugh. "And... go,"

I ran across the field, the ball in my hands. Nick ran after me and I started laughing once he started getting the ball from me. I hugged it closer to me, running to my base and throwing it across the line. I jumped up and down, clapping my hands. "I did! That's a point for me," I winked at him, giggling.

"If this was a real game, you're disqualified," Nick laughed. "You're good. But I'm better." he smirked, grabbing the ball from me.

"Hey! I wasn't ready!" I yelled as I ran after him.

"No rules remember?" he laughed as I jumped on his back, trying to grab the ball from me. "What have you been eating? You're so heavy!" he said, laughing as I struggled to steal the ball from him as he kept it close to his chest.

"I'm so not fat!" I laughed along. "You're just not strong enough. Gimme the ball, Nick!" I giggled as I got off his back. He ran to his base, throwing the ball across the line, scoring him a point. We were neck to neck and we don't know how long this will take us.

"One point!" Nick chuckled. "First one to get eight points wins."

"That will take us forever!" I whined, giggling. "Okay. If you say so," I said, grabbing the ball from Nick and running to my base. He caught up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and spinning me around, laughing. "Put me down, Nick!" I laughed as I squirmed to get out of his grip.

"No way. You're going to score two points," Nick chuckled. "You're going to do my homework for the next three days," he winked before putting me down and grabbing the ball from me. He ran to his base and threw the ball, scoring him another point. "And thank you!" he laughed, taking a bow.

"No fair, you were a football player for like three years. Let me win this one!" I giggled as I grabbed the ball from him. "Don't chase me this time, okay?" I smiled as I walked over my base, placing the ball across the ruler. "One point," I grinned making Nick chuckle as he shook his head.

"There. You got your point," he said as he took the ball, throwing it across the field. We walked over to his base and the football was across the line. "Three points for me," Nick winked and my eyes widened.

"How the heck did you do that?" I said in amazement.

"Football player, remember?" he smiled at me, making butterflies explode in my stomach. I pushed the feeling away and grabbed the ball. I found it odd that butterflies were in my stomach. I didn't like him. I liked Liam and what happened earlier?

"Fine. You're _the _football player. If you're so good why don't you try out for the team?" I asked as I threw the football up and down.

"I told you, college is different from high school. I might embarrass myself," he admitted as he ran a hand through his tangle curls. I let out a soft giggle before setting the ball aside and sitting down the grass. "What?"

"What's so embarrassing about trying out for the football team? You were captain two years in a row, rememeber? That's how you met Selena, when you were in a football game. Who knows, you might meet someone like her here, too," I smiled, nudging him once he sat down next to me.

"I just don't want to, okay? It's not really embarrassing but the reason I joined the football team when we were in high school was because I didn't want to be home that often and I wanted to have some fun. Right now, I'm going to take college seriously," Nick said making me grin.

"I'll vote for you when you run for president of America," I giggled as I threw the ball to my base. "Oh hey, look. Three points for me also," I said, letting out a small laugh.

"So who wins?" Nick asked, chuckling.

"Fine, you win. I don't want you to jump in the pool tomorrow after what I just heard," I said as I lied down the grass.

"You're going to make me win?" he said, letting out a chuckle. "Tell you what, you're not going to do all of my homework. I just want you to tutor me. You don't have to do it."

"What happened to the bet?" I giggled.

"It's off," he winked. "I'm hungry. Wanna grab a bite?"

"Yes please," I smiled as the thunder rumbled above us. "I think it's going to rain," I said.

"Let's go, then," he said. We walked halfway across the field when the rain started falling. I smiled as I stared at the sky, as I felt myself get drenched. Nick grabbed my hand and we started running. I stopped and Nick tugged my arm. "Come on, we're getting drenched."

"Let's stay. We're drenched anyway," I smiled as I spun around in the rain, giggling. "I don't remember the last time I did this! I was like five or something? I just love standing in the rain," I giggled as Nick smiled at me.

"I used to play in the rain, too," he chuckled. "We used to play tag in the rain. Sometimes even hide and seek." Nick smiled as he offered his hand to me. "May I have this dance, miss?"

"You may," I giggled as I held his hand, leaning my head against his shoulder. We started swaying in the rain as I felt his strong arms around me. I smiled to myself as I closed my eyes, my stomach doing flips again.

"You're going to get sick, you know," he reminded.

"I don't really care," I smiled at him as he spun me around and pulling me back to him again. I closed my eyes, loving the feeling of him against me as we danced in the pouring rain. "I miss Selena," I sighed.

"I miss her, too. I keep on wondering what she's doing everyday," he said as I felt him exhale. I felt the droplets of water race down my skin making me shiver involuntarily. "Does she call you? If she does, tell her I said hi and I was wondering if she's okay."

"I will," I smiled. "Yeah, she calls me. She's still the same Sel I know. But she sounds lonely there. She didn't want to go to London. She actually wanted to study here but her parents insisted that she should stay there."

"Are you worried?" Nick asked making me look up at him.

"Worried about what?" I asked as I struggled to stay warm.

"You know, the future. Like what's gonna happen next. What if college is over? What's next? Do you ever think of that?" he asked making me stare out in the distance. The rain was still pouring and we didn't care. It was like it was just the two of us in the field.

"I do," I sighed. "In fact, I'm scared," I said. The two of us stayed quiet for a while as we swayed quietly in the rain, the droplets of water hitting my face. I leaned my head back on his chest as I closed my eyes. I was still confused about the butterflies in my stomach and the way my heart pumps faster whenever I see him. I didn't understand. I sighed inwardly as I enjoyed the feeling of rain making contact on my skin.

"Hey Miley?" Nick whispered against my ear making me look up at him.

"Yeah?"

"I–"

"Miley?" we heard someone call behind us. It was Liam. My eyes widened when I saw him. I stepped away from Nick, looking down. "What are you doing here? It's raining and you're soaking wet," he said as he approached us. He had an umbrella with him and told me to stay under it.

"We were playing football when it rained," I answered as I glanced at Nick.

"Oh hey, man," he nodded at Nick, smiling. Nick nodded back but didn't bother smiling. I looked down, feeling bad for Nick. I wish Liam didn't show up right now. "Come on. Let's get you dried up," he said as he placed a hand behind my back. I looked back at Nick, giving him an apologetic look. We left the field and I knew it wasn't right leaving Nick alone standing in the rain.

xxx

I knocked on the door as I leaned against the wall, hoping he would open the door. The door swung open revealing Nick. I gave him a soft smile as he let me in. I sat down his bed, quietly. As I watched him walk in the bathroom and walked out after a couple of seconds. I sighed as he sat down next to me. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't know that Liam was going to show up," I said as Nick nodded quietly.

"Hey, he is your boyfriend. It's natural that he would look out for you," he said making me confused. I gave him a confused look and Nick gave me a smile. "Come on, Mi. You guys are dating whether you know it or not."

"But we're not. I swear," I said. "If we were dating, I'd know it. We're just friends. Like you and me," I smiled at him as he nodded. Another silence fell between us. I found it awkward sitting next to him right now. I felt Nick sigh beside me. "Why are you so quiet?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired," Nick said before standing up and walking over his closet, getting a towel. He threw it on the bed and sat back down next to me.

"It's not nothing. I can see something's bothering you," I insisted as his face grew intense. I wanted to know if he was still mad at me for earlier. I just wanted him to say it right out.

"You don't understand."

"You're right, I don't. That's why I'm telling you to tell me what's wrong. I told you I was sorry. It's not my fault Liam showed up," I shot back as I grew impatient.

"It's Liam! Why does he have to show up whenever we're together," he said as he ran a hand through his hair. "Like yesterday at lunch, like last night and earlier at school. It's like whenever I have the chance to talk to you, he'd barge right in and just act like he didn't disturb us."

"Nick, he is my friend, too. Wait a minute... are you jelous?" I asked.

"Maybe I am!" he blurted out. His eyes widened and he froze. I knew he didn't mean to say it. My stomach did flips again making me nervous. I stared at Nick as I tried to figure out what he was thinking. But then I realized what he was thinking, he should've kept quiet about the whole jelous thing.

**a/n: bleeh. This chapter officially sucked. I'd be really really ecstatic once I find out you guys are still reading this. Heads up people! I have a new story in the making. ;) reeviews? :DD**


	7. Chapter 7

**a/n: I'm trying my best to update faster now. :) thanks for sticking to this story. Reviews? :DD**

_Can't Have You ;_

_Chapter Seven_

**Nick: **I stiffened. I didn't mean to say it outloud. Miley was confused now and I knew she was going to ask why was I jelous? I didn't want to be obvious. I wanted to say something else before she did so she can't ask anymore questions. "That's not what I meant. It's just – ugh, you won't understand okay?! It's like he's taking you away from me," I said as I paced around the room, running a hand through my hair. Miley shook her head, sighing.

"Look, Nick. I don't _control _Liam. So please, don't pour all your stress on me. If you ask me to hang out with you, I do right? I don't say no or make up some lame excuses just so I won't make it. The truth is, I like being with you. A lot," Miley said.

"I'm not saying that you do. I mean, you guys are friends, too right? So can you ask him not to just take you away from me or something whenever we're together? I wanna get to know you better but he keeps on taking that chance away from me," I sighed.

"It's not like I'm _always _with Liam or something, Nick. He gives me space because we're _not _dating. What part of 'we're not dating' don't you get?" she rolled her eyes, standing up as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"I get that point. You're not dating him. Then why does he act like you're all his?" I groaned.

"Why are we even having this argument?!" Miley almost yelled. "You were never like this! Why did you suddenly go all berserk about me and Liam?! We're not doing anything. I can't believe you're being so selfish."

"I'm not selfish! He is." I spat.

"You know what, maybe this is the reason why you and Selena broke up. You make small things bigger than it needs to be. It's so shallow," Miley said before walking to the door and grabbing the doorknob. "I came here to make up with you and explain. All you did was change the subject and turn this into a stupid argument."

"Where are you going?" I sighed, my voice softening as I approached her.

"You gotta chill, Nick. If you're done acting like this, just text me or whatever," she said before walking out the room and closing the door behind her before I could say anything. I groaned, running a hand through my tangled curls. Great, I just made everything worse. I pushed her away from me. Even I didn't know why I was acting like this. I found it weird that I'm so affected by Miley and Liam's friendship. I sighed as I flopped down the bed, knowing this was all my fault. And she was right. This was one of the reasons Selena and I broke up. We argued over the silliest things. I stared at the ceiling, trying to practice how I was going to explain this to Miley. The problem was, I can't explain myself.

xxx

My head was throbbing as I tried to get to my locker. I didn't sleep well last night and I was sleepy like crazy. I could even see a bed in the middle of the hallway. I yawned as I looked around, trying to find Miley. She was standing by her locker, as usual as she talked to her roommate, Mandy. My eyes were locked on her making me bump into someone. I snapped out of my gaze and saw that the person I bumped into dropped their books. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking," I said as I kneeled down and helped her pick up her books.

"It's no problem. I was in a hurry anyway," she said as she stuffed her books back to her bag. She looked up at me and smiled softly.

"Yeah, um. I wasn't looking," I chuckled, awkwardly.

"I'm Penny. It's nice to meet you," she said as she gave me another smile. "Are you a freshman? I saw you in my class before. Calculus isn't it?" Penny asked as she adjusted the strap of her backpack on her shoulder.

"Oh yeah. I remember. Yeah, I'm a freshman. It's nice to finally meet you too," I smiled at her as I looked over her shoulder and caught Miley's glance. She looked away immediately and walked away. I sighed inwardly as I turned my attention back to Penny.

"Hey you have plans later? Maybe we could hang out or something," she offered, smiling.

"No, not really. Sure. We can head over to Starbucks after school," I said as I smiled back.

"That would be great," Penny giggled. "I'll see you later," she said before walking away and disappearing into the sea of people.

I smiled to myself, knowing I made another friend. I walked over to my locker, grabbing the books I needed. My locker needed some organizing. I made my way to my next class and sat down my usual seat. I realized Miley was in my class also. She was seated across the room and her head was bowed down as she scribbled on her notes. Students were filling the room already and soon, the teacher walked in. miley finally looked up and she glanced my way. I gave her a small smile and she looked away, sighing. I propped my forehead on my hand as I started jotting down notes from the lesson.

**Miley: **I grabbed my notebook and wrote down the lyrics, not wanting to forget them. It was for the song I was working on. I jotted down every word and smiled to myself. The song was coming along together now. I glanced at Nick and looked away the moment he saw me. I gotta admit, I was pretty harsh to him last night. He obviously had an explanation but he just doesn't want to say it. He also made friends with another girl which was great for him. I, on the other hand, was having a hard time making friends with the other girls.

Mandy was the only girl friend I made for the past week. Nick and Liam are the only two boy friends I made. They aren't bad. They're great, actually. I sighed as I stared at the whiteboard with our professor writing down notes on it. My thoughts drifted to last night again. The way Nick and I danced in the pouring rain in the middle of the football field was magical. It felt amazing. The way we just talked was the most natural thing I have ever done. Like I didn't have to try to be anyone else... just me.

I glanced at him again as I tried my best not to get seen. He was taking notes like the rest of the students while I was thinking. I snapped out of my thoughts and tried my best to concentrate on the lesson. I was completely off track and I had no idea what our professor was talking about. I groaned as I tried to review the notes on the board and tried to understand it myself. I started taking down notes and I still didn't get it. I sighed inwardly and just listened to the professor.

The bell finally rang and I exhaled. The students shuffled out of the room and Nick and I just sat in our chairs, waiting for them to get out of the room. Soon, we stood up and left the room as we went our separate ways. I looked back and made my way to my next class, knowing Nick won't leave my mind till the whole day ends. Great. I groaned as I sat down on my seat next to Mandy. I turned to her and she looked up from her book. "Hey Mi," she smiled before settling her book to the side.

"Hey," I forced a smile before propping my chin on my hand.

"Have you worked things out with Nick? Oh yeah, I saw him talking to this blond girl," Mandy said, nudging me. "You're jelous, huh? That Nick won't spend all his time on you now that he met a new friend?" she giggled.

"Why am I going to be jelous? He's just making friends and I don't wanna hog Nick's attention," I said as I took some licorice from Mandy. "And no, I haven't worked things out with him. We're not on speaking terms right now."

"Oh. The cold shoulder. You'll work it out. Why won't you approach him first? I mean, you were a little harsh to him last night," Mandy said.

"I know I was," I sighed. "But it's not my fault Liam shows up at the wrong times. I don't plan on it. Besides, I don't like it either sometimes," I admitted, sighing. I took out my notebook again and tried to come up with lyrics.

"Why don't you talk to Liam about it? I'm sure he'd understand," she said as the students started walking in the room and sitting on their usual seats.

"Fine, I'll talk to him," I sighed. "But what if he takes it the wrong way and start avoiding me? I don't want that to happen. I like him, Mandy. He's not like the other football players or seniors."

"Mi, you don't even know him that well yet. For starters, he's a junior, you're a freshman. Isn't he supposed to be crushing on sophomores or juniors than freshmen?" Mandy asked as she stuffed her pack of licorice back into her back.

"I don't know, Mandy. That's why I'm trying my best to be friends with him," I said as I ran a hand through my hair. The professor finally walked in, his book on his hand. Mandy shrugged at me as she turned her gaze to the whiteboard. I sighed before stretching to grab my pen and notebook as I turned my attention to the discussion.

xxx

I adjusted the strap of my bag as I walked through the campus, seeing different kinds of students. There were cheerleaders practicing on the grass, football players throwing footballs at each other, students by the tree, studying – yeah, they were pretty much high school except there a was dorm, and the campus was a whole lot bigger. I stopped by the cafe and grabbed a latte before heading back out and making my way to the other building that leads to our dorms. I stopped in my tracks when I saw Nick around the corner. I walked towards him and stopped again when I realized he was with a friend.

He was smiling as he walked with her and they were telling each other stories that would make them laugh together. I wanted to say sorry to Nick already. I have to admit, I was missing the guy. He was the one that would help me get through a rough day and he'd tell lame jokes just to make me smile. He was the one who understood me and put up with my mood swings. He was the one that made me feel... alright. That I wasn't alone. I sighed to myself as my gaze followed them. They left the campus, obviously going out to watch a movie or something. They disappeared and I turned around, walking inside the building.

I kept wondering where they were going, if it was going to take long or if it was just quick. The girl was beautiful. She had a long, blond hair that no one could resist. She had a genuine smile and she was tall – a model material, for short. Why wouldn't Nick like to be friends with her? She was perfect. But I won't judge or to criticize people without getting to know them first. I'm sure she's nice. I sighed as I ran a hand through my tangled curls and I immediately zoomed out that I haven't noticed I was heading straight down the stairs making me trip and fall down a few steps. I immediately snapped out , my ankle and my butt throbbing. I couldn't stand up and I was lucky nobody was willing enough to climb up the stairs.

I heard footsteps and I struggled to stand up, knowing I looked stupid in my position. I glanced up and saw Liam. He had a worried expression on his face the moment he saw me. I tried to stand up, making my butt and ankle hurt even more and I groaned in pain as I reached out for my throbbing ankle. "Miley? Miley, what happened to you? How'd you get down here?" Liam asked as he scooped me down and carried me in his arms. I started blushing hard, thinking I probably looked pathetic right now.

"I wasn't looking at where I was going and I fell down the stairs. God, my ankle hurts," I said as I kept my arms around Liam's neck for support. My butt felt like it had been whipped a thousand times. "I'm so clumsy."

"Yes, you are," Liam chuckled. "How could you not know that there was a flight of stairs in front of you? You must be thinking hard," he said as we made our way to his room. He opened the door and settled me down his bed.

"I don't know. I zoomed out and the next thing I knew, my butt was skidding down the chairs and I hit my ankle on the railings. This is so embarrassing. I look so stupid right now," I sighed as I rubbed my ankle, wincing every time a sharp strike of pain would hit me.

"No, you don't," he chuckled. "You're lucky I was heading up the stairs or else you would've waited until midnight before someone comes and sees you. You know nobody uses the stairs," Liam smiled before walking over to the mini fridge, grabbing a towel and an icepack. He walked towards me and held the icepack against my ankle making me flinch.

"Thank you," I smiled at him as I felt the pain subside. My butt, on the other hand, was aching like crazy. I didn't want to be a burden right now to Liam so I didn't complain. "Where are you headed anyway? If you're supposed to be going somewhere, you go ahead. I'll be alright."

"I was just heading over to my friend's room to hang out. I'll just text him later and explain what happened. I'm sure he'd understand. I won't leave you alone when you're like that. I'm not crazy," Liam said with a little twang of Australian accent that I liked.

"Then be crazy and go have fun. It's just my ankle. It's not like I'm dying here or something," I giggled as he sat down beside me, rubbing the icepack on my ankle softly. "The pain's going away but it hurts when I move it."

"Trust me, it's okay. I want to stay here," he smiled at me before grabbing a pillow and placing it under my ankle. "Feels better?"

"Yes, thank you," I said. "It feels fine. You don't have to do other things. I'm just going to rest here or something."

"Yes, ma'am. If that's what you want," he winked at me, smiling. "So what's going on with you? Things going great?"

"I'm pretty much stressed out but everything's good. Surprisingly, I'm enjoying it," I giggled. "How 'bout you? I heard there's a big game next month. You better do good. I wanna watch the very first football game here."

"I'll try to," he chuckled. "Everything's doing good also. I'm finally getting my grades on Anatomy up. I turned my D into a B. I thought it was pretty awesome so I want to turn all my grades into B's. Perhaps even A's."

"Anybody could do it if they try hard enough," I smiled. "I'm sure you're going to turn every letter on the report card into A's as long as you try. What are you going to lose, right?"

"You actually inspire me, Miley. I see your test papers and they're all marked with A. I bet you feel amazing everytime you get one. Who doesn't?" Liam smiled.

"I do?" I said, blushing. "Thanks," I gave him a small smile.

"So how are you and Nick? I didn't see him talk to you today. Are things good?" he asked before removing the icepack from my ankle and placing a towel on it.

"Um, yeah. Things are good, I guess," I shrugged.

"That's good. Nick's a good guy, right? I wanna get to know him better but it seems like he doesn't want to give me the chance. I don't know, it's just a feeling. Tell him I'm sorry whenever I interrupt you guys. I wanna talk to you also as much as he does," Liam said and I looked down as I started playing with my bag.

"I'm sorry about that. That's just how he is. It's okay, I understand. It's just Nick gets a little pissed off when we're in a middle of a conversation and you'd ask me to go with you. So... yeah," I shrugged, sighing.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. But tell him he doesn't own you. He might want to let you make friends," Liam said as he leaned against the headboard.

"Nick's a nice guy once you get to know him. Actually, he's an amazing guy. I consider him as my best friend. Just get to know him, you're going to be great friends," I said, patting his knee.

"For you, I'll try to," he smiled at me.

"Good," I giggled. "Can you help me stand up, please?" I asked and Liam stood up, helping me stand up. I limped towards the door with Liam and we left the room. We walked through the hallways until we reached my room. I stood by the door and leaned him, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you."

"It's no problem, Mi," he smiled at me. "I'll see you around, okay?" Liam said before I walked in my room, closing the door behind me. Mandy wasn't around and the room was quiet. I limped over the bed, sitting down on it and putting my ankle up. I sighed to myself, my thoughts drifting back to Nick. I haven't seen him yet and he's still out with her. I closed my eyes and before I knew it, I fell asleep and unsurprisingly, I dreamt of Nick.

**Nick: **We started walking back to the campus and Penny and I were exchanging stories about our high school memories. We would laugh together every now and then and exchange opinions. She was comfortable to be with and she was natural. I didn't say much but enough to keep conversations alive. As much as possible, I avoid awkward silences. We reached the campus and the sun was setting already. I immediately remembered the football game Miley and I played. It was a beautiful night and Miley and I had fun like we never had before. But the thing I won't forget was the dance we shared in the rain together. I could still feel the butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it.

"My brother was the school mascot and he was the school's joke. I don't laugh at him, just occasionally. He is my brother after all. But he's a pretty good sport. He didn't take the jokes seriously. I admire him for that," Penny smiled at me as we walked up the stairs.

"You're brother's great. Other people can't do that," I said and we reached Penny's room. We stopped in front of her door and I waited for her to say something, but she didn't. "So, um... you have a good night."

"You too. It's nice meeting you, Nick," she smiled at me. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"It's nice meeting you, too. Night, Penny," I smiled back as I watched her walk in her room. I stuffed my hands into my pocket before walking to my room. I glanced at Miley's door and looked down, knowing she was proabably still mad at me. I opened the door and walked into my room. I sat down the bed, grabbing my phone and playing with it. I thought twice about calling Miley. I know she wasn't going to answer, anyway. I sighed, lying down the bed and staring at the ceiling.

xxx

My eyes suddenly opened and I groaned, rubbing my eyes. I glanced at the alarm clock and it was 12 midnight. I fell asleep earlier and missed dinner. I sighed, closing my eyes as I tried going back to sleep. Miley was still in my head and I know I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep again. Giving up, I turned on the lamp and slipped on my jacket. I opened the door and the cold breeze hit my face. I went down the stairs, wanting to take a walk to take my mind off of things. I exhaled as I slowly walked through the campus. It was dark and the lamp posts were on but it wasn't really enough to light the whole campus.

There wasn't anybody around and I knew I would get in trouble once somebody sees me here. I ran a hand through my tangled curls as I stopped for a while, looking up. It was a full moon, making me smile. I took in a deep breath and I was finally relaxed. The crickets were chirping and the breeze was strong enough to cool me down. I continued walking around the campus and stopped when I saw someone standing by the lamp post. I recognized her long, brunette hair and I didn't think twice to approach her. Miley was holding an icepack, her arms crossed across her chest as she stared at the moon.

Miley turned around, her eyes locking with mine. She had a blank expression on her face and I gave her a small smile. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night? Something could happen to you here." I said as I moved closer to her.

"I should ask you the same question," Miley said. "I couldn't sleep at all. I've been out here for two hours now. How 'bout you?"

"Couldn't sleep either..." I said, shrugging. She nodded then turned her attention back to the moon. "Here. It's cold out here," I said before slipping my jacket off and placing it over her shoulders.

"No, I'm–"

"It's cold out here. It's okay," I said. Miley gave me a soft smile as she turned around and limped towards the bench. I noticed her ankle had a bandage wrapped around it and she was carrying an icepack. She sat down the bench and held the icepack over her ankle. I sat down beside her, taking it from her and I pressed it against her ankle. "What happened to you?"

"I fell down the stairs. I wasn't looking. My ankle hit the railings badly but it's okay now. It just hurts when I move it," she said as she held the jacket closer to her body.

"You should be more careful, Mi," I said looking at her and she nodded. "Listen, I want to apologize for the way I acted. I'm not in the place for acting like that. I shouldn't have told you those things."

"It's okay, Nick. I shouldn't have yelled at you and acted so harsh. It was my fault also. So I'm also sorry," Miley smiled. "I talked to him about it. He said he's sorry and he wants to get to know you better. You should give him the chance."

"I don't know, Mi. I'll try, okay?" I said.

"As long as you try," she said. "He was the one who saw me on the stairs. If it wasn't for him, I'd still be stuck on the stairs and I'd have to limp all the way to my room."

"Oh," I nodded. "That's good." Miley leaned in and touched the edges of my lips, lifting it up. She started giggling as she forced me to smile.

"Come on, Nicholas. Cheer up," she giggled as she continued to lift up the corners of my mouth. I chuckled as I tried to get Miley's hands off of my lips. "I'm not stopping until you smile, Nick."

I chuckled, finally giving in. I grinned then it faded the moment it appeared making Miley giggle. "There, I smiled. Happy?" I chuckled as Miley leaned her head against my shoulder.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" she smiled as she looked up at me. "You know, Nick. Whenever I'm with you, I feel like I've known you forever. Longer than anyone else."

"Is that a good thing?" I asked.

"Yes," she smiled. "It's familiar but it's new at the same time. And when I'm talking to you, it's like I don't have to choose my words to impress you or try to be somebody else. Because when I'm with you, you make me feel... beautiful. It sounded cliché, but it's true."

"You are beautiful, Mi," I said, looking into her eyes. "Very."

"Thank you," she giggled. "You mean a lot to me, Nick. Stay in my life, okay?"

"Why would I wanna leave your life?" I smiled, wrapping an arm around her. "I'd stay as long as you want me to," I whispered as she smiled up at me. We ended up staring at the night sky, the moonlight serving as our lamp. Soon, Miley fell asleep in my arms. I watched her for hours, trying to figure out what she was thinking. All I know was, my heart was screaming out her name and my arms want to be around her all the time. Maybe, just maybe... what I'm feeling was more than a 'like'.

**a/n: how was it? :) btw, guys, I'm thinking of writing a new story. If I did, would you read it? Suurvey! :D reviews, people. Thank you. ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**a/n: update. Review and enjoy. :)**

_Can't Have You ;  
Chapter Eight_

**Miley: **I beamed at Nick as I closed my eyes, feeling the cold breeze hit my face. I looked up at him as he stared at the sky. He was absolutely beautiful. No wonder Selena fell for him. I kept wondering why he stopped loving her or if he ever did love her. I kept wondering if he just felt sorry for my best friend and decided to give it a shot, thinking he might learn to love Selena. He never really explained why to me and neither did Selena. It was like nobody wanted to bring up the past and they were scared of talking about it.

I wanted to ask Nick so badly but decided to shut up, knowing it wasn't any of my business. He tightened his grip around me as a sign of protection as I buried my face in his chest. I knew I could stay like this with him for a lifetime. I listened to his heart beating and my stomach tightened. There was something different that I feel whenever I was with him but the problem was, I didn't know what it is. Maybe I know what it was, but I just don't want to accept it. I sighed and suddenly, sleepiness drowned me.

"Hey, Mi? It's getting late. Let's head up the dorm," he whispered softly as he pushed a strand of my hair away from my face. "We have classes tomorrow and we don't want to be late, right?"

"But I'm so sleepy," I whined, yawning making Nick chuckle. "Can we stay here? I don't wanna get up."

"I thought you said you can't sleep earlier?" he chuckled. "Don't make me carry you up to your room and wake everybody up. Come on, Mi. You're going to get sleepy tomorrow," Nick said before standing up as he hovered over me.

"Fine, Mr. You're-going-to-get-sleepy," I groaned before standing up and stretching. "It's 2 in the morning already. Class starts in 5 hours," I said as we made our way to the stairs and into the building.

"That's why we need to get to our dorm," Nick smiled at me as I pulled his jacket closer to my body. I was wearing my Panda slippers and he doesn't seem to notice it. We reached our hallway as we stood by our doors. "Night, Mi," he said.

"Thanks for the jacket," I said before handing it to him. "Night, Nick." I leaned up at him, pecking him on the cheek before heading inside and closing the door behind me. I jumped on my bed, making sure I wouldn't wake Mandy up. I pulled the covers over my body, a smile playing on my face. I closed my eyes, falling asleep immediately.

xxx

**Selena: **I opened my laptop before signing in on Skype and checking if Miley was online. She wasn't. Probably still sleeping. I closed my laptop, setting it aside before standing up and grabbing my bag. My roommate was up and gone already. I sighed to myself before checking my appearance in the mirror. We weren't really getting along and we don't talk too much. She isn't in the room that often and walks in in the middle of the night, drunk and wasted. She wasn't really what you'd call the perfect roommate.

I swung my bag to my shoulder before walking out of my room. It was 7 in the morning and I needed some energy booster or something. I walked down the stairs and out into the campus. I walked to the cafe and ordered a Latte. I waited in line as I yawned. The guy in the counter handed me my cup and I sat down on one of the tables. Going to boarding school in England was hard and I didn't really imagine it this way. I sighed to myself, propping my chin on my palm.

My thoughts drifted to Miley, wondering where she was and what she was doing. She was probably having fun at the boarding school. We've been wanting to go to that University ever since we were in the fifth grade. We wanted to be roommates and finish college together until my parents got in the way and decided to send me to boarding school in England. Now here I was, stuck in Europe and I wasn't even allowed to shop that much and we weren't allowed to go out on weeknights.

I left my cup on the table and stood up, walking out of the cafe. I walked through the campus and into the hallways. I looked for the Science lab and walked right in once I found it. I took my usual seat and just stared while the rest of the students filled in the room. I barely opened my mouth to talk. I only talk whenever there was an activity in class or whenever I was on Skype talking to Miley and my parents. I played with the model of the eye on the table, sighing.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" I heard somebody ask as I looked up. There stood a cute guy, smiling. He didn't have an English accent making me relieved that I wasn't the only American here.

"Um, no. it's not," I answered as I stared out the window. He sat down the stool next to me and followed my gaze. It was raining again, as usual. It rains 200 days in a year here and I really wasn't used to the cold weather so I had to wear thick clothes. I was used to sunny California.

"Oh, yeah. I'm um, David," I heard him say making me snap out of my gaze. I turned to him, giving him a slight smile. "Nice to meet you...?" he said as he held out his right hand. I struggled for words, not really ready to talk to somebody.

"Selena," I replied, "Nice to meet you too," I nodded, staring at him. He has black hair like me and he was tanned slightly. I was right. He was American. "So, um. Are you from around here or are you–"

"I'm an American. I'm guessing, so are you," he chuckled, "My parents sent me here. They said I've had enough of America and said I needed a new atmosphere so here I am now. Awesome right? How about you? How'd you get here?"

"My parents sent me here also," I said. "They wanted me to go here because they said this school was one of the greatest schools here in London. I'm not really used with the cold weather. I'm from California so..."

"I'm from Florida so I know what you're feeling," he chuckled. "I miss home. It's not really the same. I'm actually having trouble adjusting here. I wanted to go to this college in Florida but my parents put their foot down and decided not to let me to."

"Same here. I wanted to go to the University back in California 'cause it really was my dream to study there with my best friend. Turns out my parents held me back," I shrugged. "I even left my best friend back there so we're having a hard time communicating with each other."

"Yeah, I left my buddies back in Florida, too. It sucks being so far away from the people you care about," David said as he played with the pencil on his hand. "Looks like we're the ones who understand each other here."

"Looks like it," I smiled at him. It was my first real smile in weeks. "How come I only met you today? Aren't you attending this class for the past weeks?"

"Oh, um, it's because I only arrived yesterday," he answered. "I'm glad we had the same class today, though. It made me feel less... alone."

"Me too," I giggled. Soon, the students were all in and Mrs. Thompson walked in. David smiled at me once he caught my glance making me blush slightly. I found it comforting to know that I wasn't the only stowaway here and I was pretty sure David and I aren't the only ones also.

xxx

**Miley: **I flipped open the book I just borrowed from the library as I sat down on the grass under the tree. It was Peter Pan written by J.M. Barrie. I looked up, the sun blinding me slightly. I looked down and started reading chapter one where Wendy's parents were out for dinner and nana, the dog, was looking after them. I couldn't concentrate from the noise around me and I didn't notice I was reading the same paragraph over and over again. I felt someone sit beside me making me close the book. "Hey Nicholas," I giggled.

"Hey Miley Ray," Nick smiled, "Is that Peter Pan?" he asked as he settled his backpack beside him.

"Yeah. I borrowed it from the library. I wanted to read the book version so I thought I'd borrow it," I answered, shrugging before setting the book aside. "What's up?"

"Nothing much, really. There's just this big test on Calculus. I don't even get some of the lessons there," he said, "So I kinda need to ask you to do something if it's alright with you." I could see where this was going making me giggle.

"Fine, I'll tutor you but you have to promise no goofing around or it would get us nowhere. Got it?" I said before stuffing the book into my bag and placing it on my lap.

"Yeah, I got it," he chuckled. "You can come by my room around seven."

"Why seven? We could do it after school to finish early," I said as I ran a hand through my tangled hair.

"I have plans with Penny," Nick admitted making the 'jelousy gland' inside my body activate, if there was such a thing making me slightly annoyed. I can't blame Nick if he was making new friends. I wasn't even that kind of girl who wants attention so badly. I just nodded, standing up and swinging my bag on my shoulder. He stood up and gave me a small smile.

"I'll see you at seven, then. I gotta go, I have Algebra," I said before faking a small smile and walking towards the other building, not bothering to look back. I heard him call out Penny's name making me turn around. He walked up to Penny and she gave him a one-armed hug as they exchanged smiles and started talking about their day. Maybe Penny really was nice. I know we had one class together. I turned back around and made my way through the hallway, walking towards my locker.

"Hey, Mi," I heard someone say behind me making me turn around. Liam was leaning against the locker next to me, smiling.

"Hey Liam," I smiled at him before returning the books inside the locker and getting the books for my next class. I closed the locker and turned to Liam as I hugged my books closer to me. "What's going on?"

"My class just ended and I'm wondering if you want to come and watch football practice later after school. You up for it?" he asked. I smiled at him, nodding. "Great. Um, it's around five or something. Bring anyone you want, it's just practice."

"I'll be there," I smiled, "But I can't really stay along. I have to tutor someone but I'll be there." I confirmed. I never really watched football games or football practices back when I was still in high school. I only watched them because of Selena. She wanted to watch Nick play or practice.

"That's awesome," he said. "We'll be at the field. So, um, I have to go. Mrs. B won't like it if I'm late again. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure. You go ahead," I nodded, smiling as I watched him walk off. I made my way to Algebra and sat down my usual seat. I noticed Mandy wasn't around today and I haven't seen her when I woke up. She must've went home or something. I sighed to myself, getting tired from the daily routine here. I took out the book Peter Pan again and finished about five pages before the professor came in.

xxx

I held my bag close to me as I walked through the field to find Liam. He was doing push ups in the corner along with some guys and the rest of the team was running around the field. I smiled as we caught each other's glance and I made my way to the bleachers. Liam jogged towards me and he was panting making me giggle. "Hey superstar. Looks like you need a break," I said, letting out a small giggle.

"Nah. The team just started an hour ago. I'm pretty much Ironman," he winked at me. "I'm glad you're able to came here. It means a lot. I bet you're my lucky charm. If we win today at the practice game, make sure you come to every football game."

"No, I'm not," I giggled, "I don't really believe in lucky charms. It's in the person. We choose what's going to happen next. I think it's cause and effect so I don't really believe in 'em." I shrugged my shoulders making Liam chuckle. "What?"

"You really are smart, Stewart," he smiled.

"Hemsworth! In the field, now!" the coach screamed at him as he motioned is arms towards the field. He eyed me for a second then walked away, getting the feeling that distractions aren't allowed out here.

"I think the coach doesn't want me here and I'm the only one watching. Am I supposed to be here?" I asked as I watched him wipe his neck with a face towel.

"Of course. Don't mind the coach. He's a great guy but he's strict when it comes to practices. I gotta go. Later, Stewart," he winked at me before jogging towards the team. I smiled at him as I walked up the second bleacher to get a better view of the practice.

The coach was saying something to the team and they sat down the bench to discuss something. I took out the book from my bag and started reading the first chapter again. I finished it and continued to the second chapter. I looked up from the book and they were now playing. They were split into two groups and they were in the ready position. Liam was practically flying around the field making me astonished. I smiled to myself as his team scored a point. So far so good. I didn't really understand how football works so I only cheer whenever the crowd cheers.

My chin was propped on my palm as I looked around. Nick would've loved playing out here. I'm sure he'd give in and try out for the team before the football season ends. He was completely missing out. I sighed as I kept my eyes on Liam. He looked like the football captain even though he wasn't. He said he'd be ecstatic once he was captain. After about an hour, they finally finished the game and the coach blew the whistle as they huddled together, placed their hands over each other's and lifting them up while yelling, "Sharks!"

I stood up from my seat to greet him and he had a huge grin on his face. "Let me guess, you won and now I'm your lucky charm?" I giggled as I crossed my arms across my chest.

"Yeah! I mean, we had a 7 point gap and that never happened to our team during practices," Liam smiled as he panted. He grabbed the bottle of water and started chugging it until it was empty.

"That's great," I smiled. "So was that the practice or do you have to do something else?" I asked as I picked up my bag and swung it over my shoulder.

"We have to go to our room and plan the game," he answered.

"I'm sorry, I can't stay anymore. I'm tutoring," I said as I glanced at my wrist watch. It was 7:15 already and I was late. "It's nice watching you but I gotta go, okay?"

"Thanks for coming, Mi," Liam smiled at me. "I'll see you around."

I gave him a small wave before walking away from the field. I fastened my pace and jogged towards the dorm building. I used the elevator, too tired to use the stairs. I made my way to our hallway and stood by Nick's door. I knocked on it and Nick immediately opened. "Sorry I'm late," I said as I walked in and sat down Nick's bed.

"Why were you late?" he asked as he sat down beside me and opened his books.

"I watched football practice. I didn't know it was going to be that long. Sorry," I said as I scooted closer to him and peeked at his books.

"Oh," Nick answered, "Let's start?" I nodded, sighing.

xxx

We were finally done and it took us two hours. I was lying down Nick's bed, staring out into the distance and Nick was doing his homework on his desk. None of us were talking and I found it awkward staying here and not saying a word. I played with the blank piece of paper that I saw on the bed and started ripping it and shredding it to pieces, making a mess. I cupped my hands and picked up all the ripped papers and crumpled them into a one ball of paper, shooting them on the trash can. "So how was the football practice?" he asked, looking up from his book and turning to me.

I shrugged my shoulders and looked at him. "It was pretty much boring. I just sat on my butt for two whole hours. It's still numb right now," I said as I hugged the pillow next to me.

"Then why didn't you leave?" he chuckled, closing the book he was reading and standing up to sit next to me. "Let me guess, Liam was there and he asked you to stay there because you're his lucky charm?" my eyes widened, shocked that he knew what Liam said to me.

"Were you stalking me or something or are you a psychic 'cause you freaked me out," I giggled. No one else was around so I was sure Nick wasn't there. Liam was in practice so he and Nick couldn't have possibly talked to each other.

"Because that's old school. That's kinda like a jock's pick-up line or something. Trust me, it's high school. I even used that on Selena," Nick laughed slightly as he leaned his back on the headboard.

"You used that line?" I giggled. "So it's a pick-up line. No wonder I swore to myself I heard someone say that."

"I'm sure that guy's a jock also," he laughed. "Even basketball players use it. Don't be surprised if girls freak out on the bleachers because the team won. They believe they're the lucky charms. I don't really believe in 'em."

"In what? Lucky charms? Selena said you put on your right sock and shoe on for luck," I said.

"Oh, it's not really for luck. I'm just used to putting on my right sock and shoe on first. She just saw me do it before the big football game. But hey, whenever I do that, the team wins so I just keep on doing it," Nick chuckled.

"See, that's kinda like a luck ritual," I said, smiling. "How 'bout you? How's the day with Penny?" I asked as I sat up, leaning on the headboard like Nick.

"It was great. We just got together for some coffee and I played the guitar for her. She's really amazing. I'll introduce you girls to each other," he said, smiling.

"That'd be great," I said. "So does Nicholas like her?" I teased, nudging him.

"What?" Nick let out a laugh. "Of course I like her. She's nice. But I don't like-'like' her. The 'like' you're thinking right now."

"What 'like' am I thinking?" I smirked.

"I don't have a crush on Penny," Nick insisted. "And if I did, I'd tell you, okay?" he chuckled as he grabbed the pillow, hitting me with it on the arm slightly.

"What'd you do that for?" I scoffed as I grabbed a pillow, hitting him on the stomach. "You're such a kid." I giggled.

"You're such a grown up," he shot back, laughing.

"Look who's talking, Mr. Intense-all-the-time," I said with a laugh.

"I'm not intense. I'm just... serious," Nick said.

"Mm-hm. Okay. If you say so," I smiled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he laughed.

"It's supposed to mean okay," I giggled. "Gee, someone's all up in my grill."

"You want me to get out of your grill?"

"Yes, please," I laughed.

"Let me think about it. No," he smirked as he poked my sides making me squirm, laughing. He started tickling me making it hard for me to speak and all I could do was squirm and laugh. I rolled down the bed and down the floor making Nick laugh. "What are you doing?" he chuckled as I stood in the middle of the room.

"You're suffocating me," I said seriously.

"You're welcome," he winked making me giggle. He stood up, attacking me with tickles making me drop down the floor, laughing. "Am I suffocating you?" Nick laughed as he continued to poke my sides.

"Nick! Stop!" I said, breathlessly as I laughed. He stopped, chuckling as I lied down the floor, breathing heavily. "I'm so weak when it comes to tickles," I giggled as I sat up, whacking him on the stomach.

"Ow!" Nick laughed.

"I hate you," I narrowed my eyes at him, playfully.

"I'm quite aware of that," he chuckled.

"Hey Nick,"

"Yes, ma'am?" he smiled.

"In case you don't know, you're my best friend. I just wanted you to know that," I smiled at him and his smile faded slightly but it reappeared again making me confused.

"You too," Nick smiled. "It's getting late. You should get going."

"Oh yeah," I said as I looked down my wrist watch. It was already 9:30. I walked over to the bed, grabbing my bag and swinging it over my shoulder. I walked to the door as I twisted the knob, opening it. "Night, Nicholas," I giggled.

"Night, Mi," he smiled as he approached his bed, fixing his books. I left his room and opened the door to my room. Before I even got in, Liam was approaching me. I turned to him and gave him a small smile.

"Hey. What are you doing here? It's late," I said.

"I just came to give you this," he said as he handed me a red rose making me smile. "I didn't get the chance to give it to you earlier at practice because you left early so I decided to stop by and say goodnight to you."

"Thank you. That's so sweet of you," I smiled at him as I held the rose to my face, inhaling the scent. "It's beautiful."

"It's no problem," he said, giving me a smile. "And Miley? I came here to tell you... I came here to tell you that I... I really like you. Very much."

"Oh, um..." was all I can say.

"I just wanted to get it out of my chest. It's been bugging me for nights," he chuckled softly. "So goodnight, then."

"Goodnight," I gave him a soft smile. Before I knew it, he leaned down, pressing his lips against mine. My eyes widened. He pulled away and I stared into distance. I didn't know what I felt. My stomach clenched and I froze. I liked Liam and I should be happy right now for he told me he likes me and kissed me and gave me this beautiful rose. Maybe the kiss was the problem. Maybe I didn't want it from him. Maybe I wanted it from somebody else...

**Nick: **I fixed my things and stuffed my books into my bag, making sure it was all ready for tomorrow. I noticed that Miley left her book Peter Pan and her Chemistry book. She was still probably awake. I walked to the door, opening it slightly. My eyes widened, seeing Liam and Miley. My heart cracked and I know I can't look at it longer. I looked down, closing the door and throwing the books on the bed.

Yeah, I was her best friend and it will remain that way forever. After all, Liam was a junior, a quarterback, a rich dude and the campus hottie. Me, on the other hand, is the jerk that broke her best friend's heart, is the guy who made her best friend cry oceans of tears, is the guy who practically ruined her best friend's life. Who would want that? I can't blame Liam for falling for Miley. Miley's perfect. She's smart, she's beautiful, has a good sense of humor and fun to be with. She's caring, she's amazing, she's... Miley. She deserves someone better.

I'm sure as hell it was Liam. They like each other. Why did I even bother?

**a/n: sorry for the late update. :) for the ones who asked if my next story is Niley, yes it is. I wrote it already and I'm just going to upload it but I'm going to need your answers. Do you want to read it? :) reviews?**


	9. Chapter 9

**a/n: check out the new story on my page. :) review and enjoy. By the way, can anybody tell me if Nickole (Nick and Nicole Anderson) are dating? Aww. This year is SO NOT a Niley year. Don't lose hope, Niley fans. They'll get back. Love will find a way. :DD**

_Can't Have You ; Chapter Nine_

**Miley: **I looked down, still surprised by his sudden move. My heart was thumping but oddly, my stomach wasn't doing flips and I feel like I didn't want to throw up. In short, there weren't sparks. I've always dreamt of having that kiss where you feel like fireworks are exploding above the two of you and you feel like you're dreaming and hoping this was all true. Why did the kiss feel like it was _just _a kiss. I can see the disappointment in Liam's face as he sighed. "I'm sorry, Liam. I-I was just surprised. I didn't... I didn't expect that," I said as I finally looked up, wanting to get this over with.

"No, I'm sorry. I never should've done that. I just can't help it," Liam said, sighing. "I just thought you liked me back. I was hoping you did."

"I do like you. It's just... isn't it too early for a kiss? I mean, we're not even dating yet," I said, shrugging. "Don't get me wrong, you're _amazing,_ Liam. You're not like the other guys I met and you were there when I needed help. But I wanna get to know you more. I wanna see the whole Liam – the bad side and the good side."

"Of course. I wanna get to know you better, also. But it looks like you don't have a bad side. You're so perfect, Miley. Any guy would be so lucky to call you theirs. To hold in their arms. They wouldn't hate you no matter what you do. Because you're _Miley_," Liam said as he reached up for my cheek, caressing it lightly.

"I'm not perfect, Liam. You'll see that someday," I looked down. "I have done countless mistakes in the past but I don't regret making every one of them. Those mistakes molded me to become the person I am right now. You're going to see make a mistake in the future."

"That's the point," he chuckled, "I don't care. Nobody's perfect. I'm not after perfection, I'm not after popularity. I just want a girl who's beautiful inside and out. I don't care if you'll make mistakes. It will make you a better person. I make mistakes, too."

"You've known me for three weeks," I giggled as I looked down.

"twenty-one days. Almost a month. That's enough for me. We're not talking about marrying each other," Liam said with a slight chuckle. "I really like you, Miley. You didn't try to be someone you're not. And the first time I met you, I instantly knew you were amazing."

"Amazingly stupid. I got hit by a football, remember?" I laughed, "I even ruined your game so I wouldn't really call that 'amazing'. I'd call that dumb," I giggled as Liam smiled at me making my cheeks turn red.

"Well, thanks anyway. If it wasn't for your stupidity, I never would've met you," he smiled at me as I let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, that's great," I smiled as I tip-toed, giving him a hug. I closed my eyes, feeling his warm body against mine. He wrapped his arms around me as he hugged back. The moment was romantic, I've got to admit. But still, I knew in my heart something was missing. Heck, why do I keep lying to myself? I sighed inwardly as I pulled away. Liam was smiling at me as he kept his arms around me.

"So was that a yes?"

xxx

**Nick: **I walked through the hallway, trying to avoid getting pushed and bumped by the students. My thoughts were still filled with Miley – her smile, her voice, her laugh, and the kiss she shared with Liam. I was sure it wasn't possible for a guy to get close to her without falling for her. No matter what she does, she always seems so perfect. I sighed to myself as I saw her standing by her locker again. I tried my best not to get seen. I fastened my pace but she saw me and caught up to me. I wanted to give her space, not wanting to start rumors that she was dating two guys.

"Hey, hey," Miley smiled as she nudged me. I looked up, giving her a slight smile.

"You forgot these, by the way. I was going to give it to you last night, but... but I knew you were sleeping already," I excused as I handed her her books. She gave me a confused look but it faded, getting replaced by a smile.

"Thanks," she giggled. "So what are you up to after school? I mean, it's Friday. You have plans or something? We could hang out," Miley offered as she placed her books inside her bag.

"I can't. Remember when I told you I didn't want to try out for the team? I changed my mind. I decided to give it a shot and try out later. I mean, the game's weeks away. I can still catch up," I said as Miley grinned in excitement.

"Oh my god! That's amazing! I knew it!" Miley said, "You're gonna get in. I'm sure. They're going to need you. I could watch you later after school. After all, Liam's there. I could watch you both. This is great!"

"Yeah... both," I sighed to myself. I didn't even have to ask. It was clear – they were dating already and I'm stupid if I can't point that out. I glanced at Miley as she beamed, excited to watch me play for the first time. She didn't really care to watch the football game even if she was in the bleachers next to Selena. I could see her text or even read a book – anything to keep her from watching the game since she hated me then. She'd roll her eyes, occasionally and pretend to cheer for Selena's sake.

Now that I know Miley, I noticed that she was a completely different person back then. Or maybe it was because I only got to know her mean side. To be honest, even though she hated me, I never hated her. I had this gentle feeling whenever I'd see her or get close to her. I knew I can't hurt her emotionally or physically not only because she was Selena's best friend but just because I had this feeling.

"Um, is something wrong? You seem to be bothered by something," I heard Miley say making me snap out of my thoughts.

"No, um. I'm okay. I was just thinking of something," I shrugged making her nod. We reached Miley's classroom and just as she was about to go in, I grabbed her wrist making her stop and look up at me. "Congratulations. About you and Liam."

"What are you talking about?" Miley asked, confused. She looked at me in the eyes, searching for answers.

"I saw you guys last night. I didn't mean to. I was just about to give you your books but when I opened the door, you guys were there and I–" I babbled making Miley giggle and cover my mouth with her hand. "what? You guys are dating now right?" I mumbled against her palm.

"It's... it's complicated," she answered, removing her hand from my mouth. "It's nothing, though. There's no need for a congratulations," Miley giggled. The bell rang and I had to get to class before I was late again.

"I'll see you later then," I smiled at her before walking away and heading towards my classroom. I sat down my usual seat, a content smile playing on my lips. Okay, maybe I'm stupid. Just because they kissed, doesn't mean they're dating already. But it still bugged me, though. I smiled to myself, knowing I might have a shot at this. If I don't tell her soon, Liam might get her. But I know there were two things in the way. One, since Liam kissed her already, he must think they're already dating. Two, Selena. Miley's her best friend. What would she say when she finds out her best friend is dating the jerk who broke her heart that she used to love?

xxx

**Selena: **David and I made our way to the bench as he carried our drinks. We sat down, letting the breeze cool us and we had the feeling it was going to rain soon again. He handed me my coffee as I held my coat closer to me. The wind hit my face, making me shiver involuntarily. "So, um. How many guys have you dated? Have you ever fallen in love?" David asked as he sipped his hot coffee. I glanced at him then down to my hands, thinking about how I was going to say this.

"Yes, once. I broke with him recently. Last month. His name was Nick," I answered as I looked down my coffee, sighing. My heart broke again, remembering his face. He was the first guy I've ever fallen for. He was also the first guy that left a scar on my heart.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Why'd he break up with a girl like you?" David asked as he sipped his coffee. I let out a half laugh making him chuckle. I knew he wasn't expecting long answers. I could feel that he was also respecting my private life.

"He said he doesn't love me anymore," I answered, giving him a sad smile. "We lasted for only five months. I thought we were going strong. I realized, no matter how much you love a person but if they don't love you back, it only makes your love for them grow stronger."

"I believe that," he said, nodding. "And you know what's the hardest part about it? You can't let go somehow and watching them love somebody else is kind of like... hell. You're thinking, you should've been that one."

"But once you see them smiling, I don't care about myself anymore. As long as they're happy, I'm happy," I smiled at him, "so I finally let go of Nick. I know he's not happy with me anymore and if I really love him, I'd let him be happy."

"That's so selfless," he smiled, "I can't do that. If that was me, I'd do whatever I can to fight for the person I really love. Not that I'm saying you made a mistake but did you try to fight for Nick? You know, to stay."

"I did, actually. I fought for him but then I grew tired and I realized those things. He's not some pet I should own just for my happiness. My best friend helped me through it, also. If it wasn't for her, I'm still chasing after him right now," I giggled, rolling my eyes.

"Who's she?" David asked as he scooted closer me.

"Oh, her name's Miley. She's an amazing friend, beautiful inside and out. She goes to a boarding school in California with Nick. She said their rooms are in front of each other. But, hey, they used to hate each other. Now they're finally getting along," I said, looking away. I sighed, inwardly, wanting to see them both so badly.

"They used to hate each other, huh? I think they realized it's time to bury the hatchet," he chuckled making me smile.

"I guess they did," I said, shrugging. "but during the first few days, Miley would always e-mail me about how Nick was annoying and this and that. I think they're even best friends now. Opposites attract," I giggled.

"Well that's good for them," he smiled.

"What about you? Tell me about your life. I've told you almost half of my life already," I said, giggling. "Have you ever committed a crime or something and spent the night in jail? You know, something interesting."

"Hey, do I look like a bad person to you?" he chuckled, joking. "There isn't really much to tell. I just travel around much and I've been to different places like China, Italy, Vietnam, even in Africa. I just love exploring new places and finding out stuff."

"You've been to Africa?" I gasped, "How was it?"

"Africa-ish," David answered. I whacked him on the arm, playfully making him laugh. "Alright, alright. Africa was... rare. It was beautiful and mysterious at the same time. I spent 3 days there."

"Must be exciting being you," I smiled.

"Not really. I just travel around because of my dad. He takes me with him whenever he has to do some research or something. I became fond of exploring so I come with my dad as often as possible. But my parents are mega strict. They don't even let me have another girlfriend after I broke up with Jenny," he said making me laugh.

"They don't let you date? Why?" I asked.

"I don't know. They said girls are distractions in life. I don't even know how my parents fell in love and got married," he chuckled as he finished his coffee. "I mean, I think it's impossible that they even had time to flirt and date and other stuff."

"Hey, they have hearts too," I giggled as I gulped the last of my coffee. "They just want you to be successful like them. When you're finally successful and you've achieved everything you could ever ask for, then you're free to date anyone you want to."

"Don't you realize that's years and _years_ away?" he said.

"So? You don't have a girlfriend from the age one to fifteen, right? I think you can survive another fifteen years," I laughed, throwing the cup in the trashcan.

"No way. I'm not going to get wheeled down the aisle. I'm going to _walk _down it," David laughed along as he threw his cup. We looked up, the rain drops hitting our faces making us chuckle. David quickly opened the umbrella as I linked arms with him."perfect timing." I giggled as we made our way back to the school campus. The rain created puddles on the floor and I jumped at it, wetting my boots. The day finally ended but the rain still hasn't. Hey, I'm in England, right?

xxx

**Miley: **I closed my locker, making my way to the football field to watch Nick try out for the team and watch Liam practice. I headed towards Nick and he wrapped his arms around me, giving me a hug. I smiled at him, encouragingly, as I squeezed him lightly. "You're going to do great, Nick. Blow them away," I giggled as I ruffled his curls. He placed his helmet on his head and I gotta admit, he looked gorgeous in the football gear.

"Thanks for coming, Mi," he smiled at me as I walked towards the bleachers and sitting down on the nearest one to the field. I watched as Liam approached me, sweating and panting like the last time I watched him practice.

"Hey, Miles. What are you doing here?" Liam asked as he wiped his face with a towel, chugging down the bottle of Gatorade.

"Oh, I came to watch Nick try out. I'm hoping he gets in since in high school, he was the football captain for two years," I said, smiling. "And I came to watch you practice also. Like the last time."

"Thanks, Mi," he smiled as he opened his arms, wanting to give me a hug. I stepped back, trying my best not to giglge. "What?" Liam asked as he looked down at himself, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"You're all sweaty. Maybe later?" I giggled as Liam pouted, looking down. "No, you're not going to fool me with that puppy dog pout. Go shower first then you can hug Miley Ray," I smiled as I watched him continue to pout.

"Fine, I'll hug you later," he pouted, attacking me with a hug. His sweat transferred to me making me feel all sticky. I pushed him away, laughing as I grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat. "Thanks," he winked, chuckling.

"You're so sweaty!" I laughed. "Just go practice."

"Later, Mi," he smiled before running away.

xxx

The football tryouts were finally done and Nick played like he never played before. The coach and the team captain were impressed by his speed and strategy. He'd look up every now and then and smile at me. I wanted to be with him during the important moments of his college life and tell them all to Selena. Before she even left, she wanted me to keep an eye on Nick. She didn't really tell me to _like _Nick. Maybe I don't like Nick. Or maybe I'm not being true to myself. I sighed, propping my chin on my palm.

I glanced at Nick then back to Liam, thinking how different the two were. I didn't know why I was comparing them but sometimes, I do, involuntarily. Liam was running around the team with his friend while Nick was talking to the coach. I rose from my seat once Nick walked away from the coach. I smiled as I made my way towards him to congratulate him but stopped dead on my tracks once I realized he wasn't smiling at me – he was smiling at the person behind me.

I looked back and saw Penny run towards Nick, giving him a hug and congratulating him. I sighed inwardly, then walked away in silence. I didn't know Penny was there all along. I saw Liam jog towards me and I faked a smile. "Hey, Mi," he smiled.

"Hey, Liam," I said as I grabbed my bag, swinging it over my shoulder.

"Before you go, I want to make sure of something." he said as he placed his hands on my arms, pulling me closer to him. He looked me in the eyes as and I stared at his deep blue eyes.

"Sure. Anything," I said.

He smiled before going on, "We're dating now, right?"

**a/n: it may take a while before I update See Through Me. We still don't have any internet connection which I find super suckish. Haha. Reviews? :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**a/n: I'm so sorry for the late update. I had to reformat my laptop so... anyway, review and enjoy. :)**

_Can't Have You ; Chapter Ten_

**Miley**

The wind blew against us as Liam stared at me in anticipation. I gulped, feeling my throat dry for the third time today. I stared at the open distance, noticing that Nick and Penny were now walking away. I didn't even get the chance to congratulate him. He must've forgotten I was there. I pushed the thought far from my mind and returned my attention back to the waiting Liam. "Uh," I started. This was all so sudden. "Can you give me time? I sorta need to think."

"Uhm... sure. Take your time," Liam nodded. I gave him a small smile as I watched his anticipation fade and unsureness take over his eyes. My stomach started twisting as I ran a hand through my messy hair.

"I gotta head back. I'll see you tomorrow." I said as I wrapped my arms around myself, I walking away from him. I crossed the field, feeling confused and light headed like I was going to pass out. I finally reached the dorm building and I heard voices from the hallway where my room was. It was Nick on the phone, talking to someone. I didn't mind him for a second, knowing he was busy and trying to talk to someone. I kept my head down until I reached my door.

"I'll call you later," I heard Nick say. "Hey, Mi." he smiled.

"Hey," I said, giving him a soft smile as I kept my arms around me. "Good job out there. I'm sure you're gonna get in."

"Thanks," Nick said as I finally turned around, grabbing a hold of the knob. "Hey... what's wrong?" he whispered as he took a step closer to me.

"I'm alright, really. I'm just tired, that's all. I'll see you tomorrow," I answered as I pushed the door open, walking in. I closed the door behind me, leaning against it as I exhaled.

Mandy wasn't really around anymore. She found friends and I was happy for her. I jumped on my bed, feeling the warmness of it soak through my body. I placed my pillow over my face as I breathed on it. I wanted to scream, I wanted to go crazy and I wanted to throw things and hear them crash and break but I felt like I don't have the energy even to blink. I rolled on my stomach, closing my eyes. Liam's voice filled my mind, his question circulating on my head.

I knew I had to think about this. Is he caring? Will he be there for me when I need him? Is he like my best friend that I could tell secrets to? Can I run to him if I feel like the world's crashing down? Will he wipe away my tears? Will he watch my favorite movies even though it was a 'chick flick'? There was a lot of things on my list that he needed to fulfill. I really didn't need a list but I couldn't help myself from having one.

The scene of Nick leaving with Penny was bearable and I know I couldn't blame Nick for that. I don't have the right to be mad at him or act like a bitch to him because he was with Penny. But I could be mad at him inside. I could scream at him in my mind but act calm whenever he's around. I don't have the right. And I know why.

_He wasn't mine._

I heard faint knocks on the door and I groaned, not wanting to get it. The knocks went on and it felt like it was banging me on the head. I lied down there for five seconds before yelling, "Come in!" It wasn't even that loud and I felt like I just jogged for five miles. It took up most of my energy. I closed my eyes again and I heard the door open. I could sense someone was walking in already. I just didn't have the energy to turn my head and see who it is.

"I thought you were alright," I heard him chuckle as I felt the edge of my bed sink. Nick sat himself down the bed as he reached over my forehead, trying to feel if I was hot or just tired. "Miley, you're warmer than usual."

"I am?" I croacked out, feeling my throat get drier. I kept my arms around myself, trying to keep warm. Nick stood up as he pulled the covers over me. I felt better once I was warm.

"You're burning up, actually," he said as he walked over the bathroom. I heard him sorting out the medicines in the medicine cabinet. Nick came back with a couple of tablets in his hands. He walked over the small fridge, getting a bottle of water. "Here. Drink these." Nick said as he handed me the bottle and the tablets.

"Thanks," I whispered as he helped me sit up. I placed the tablets in my mouth, chugging the bottled water until it was empty. The coolness of the water healed my dried throat and I was able to speak again. I leaned to my side, placing the bottle on the nightstand.

"I'll be right back, okay?" he said as he got on his feet and walked over the door.

"Where are you going?" I said softly, not wanting him to leave. I could feel my body shiver underneath the thick comforters. I lied back down as I turned to my side so I could see Nick by the door.

"I'm just going down the other building and get you a thermometer and icepack in the nurse's office. You going to be okay?" he said as he walked towards me, touching my forehead. His hand was cool and I loved the feeling of it against my skin.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"It's just going to be quick," he said as he gave me a soft smile before heading back the door and into the hallway. I smiled to myself, grateful that Nick came by. I placed my hand over my neck and I was burning. I groaned as I pulled the covers closer and tighter to my body. I stared at the door, waiting for Nick to walk in. He really is my best friend. He was with me everytime I needed him and he never waited for something in return. After a couple of minutes, Nick finally walked back, holding an ice pack and a digital thermometer.

"What did the nurse say?" I asked, weakly as I watched him sit down the bed and hold the icepack against my forehead.

"She said to be careful about the thermometer. We might break it," he chuckled as I opened my mouth, placing it under my tongue. The coolness of the icepack made me shiver even more causing me to push it away. "What's wrong?"

"It's too cold," I said as I tried my best to keep the thermometer in place.

"It's supposed to be that way," Nick said. "So your temperature will drop down. You need this so just stay still, okay? And don't try to get up or leave the room. You might fall and hurt yourself. Just tell me what you need."

I removed the thermometer from my mouth to talk properly. "You don't have to do this. I can sleep it off. I'm sure it'll be gone by the morning."

"No talking. Keep the thermometer in your mouth," Nick chuckled as he moved the icepack down to the side of my neck making me flinch a little. He stared at me as if he was memorizing every detail of my face. "You feeling better now?" he asked and I nodded. "Good." he smiled as he removed my bangs away from my face.

The thermometer finally started beeping and I removed it from my mouth. Nick read the temperature as he held it close to his face. "What's my temperature?" I asked as I peeked at it.

"38.7 C. You're going to need to rest, okay?" he whispered as he held the icepack against my forhead. "And if you need anything just tell me."

"You're going to get sick if you stay here, you know," I smiled as I met his beautiful brown eyes. They were soft and I could see concern and care in them. Nick has the most gorgeous face I've ever seen. Selena was lucky enough to tell him she loves him and kiss those lips. She was lucky that she was able to feel his arms around her. She was lucky to hold his hands. I know he was the guy that broke my best friend's heart. Selena would tell me how she really isn't over him. But I was falling for him and I'm finally going to admit it to myself. My mind says not to but my heart was screaming out his name.

"I don't mind. As long as you're going to be okay then I'm okay," Nick smiled making my heart melt. No guy has ever told me that sentence before. My cheeks started turning bright red. If only he knew...

"Aren't you bored? I mean, I'm just going to be in bed all night," I giggled as I felt the icepack lose its coolness. Nick flipped it to the other side and held it against my forehead.

"Nope," he chuckled. "I have an idea." he rose from his seat and crossed the room. He took the guitar from the stand and brought it over. He sat back down the bed and placed the guiar down his lap. "You wanna finish a song with me?"

"Sure," I grinned as I sat up, feeling light headed. I shrugged it off and took a piece of paper and a pen from the nightstand. "What have you got so far?" Nick took the pen and started scribbling down the lyrics he'd came up with. I read it and smiled. "How does this go?"

"You start with an A," Nick said as he pressed the right chords and started strumming. We stare at each other's eyes and for a second, I thought I was going to fall in it. He started singing and he sang like an angel.

you, you like driving on a Sunday  
you, you like taking off on Monday  
you, you're like a dream, a dream come true

i, i'm just a face you never notice  
now i'm just trying to be honest  
with myself, with you, with the world

you might think that i'm a fool  
for falling over you  
but tell me what i can do to prove to you  
that it's not so hard to do  
give love a try, one more time  
'cause you know that i'm on your side  
give love a try, one more time

in your eyes, when i saw them for the first time,  
and that i was gonna love you for a long time  
with a love so real, so right

how did it play out like a movie,  
now every time its beat can move me,  
and i can't get your smile off my mind...

I stared at him, smiling. He was angelic, that was for sure. I wondered who was the inspiration for the song. Maybe it was Penny. My smile faded slightly as I watched him write down more lyrics. "That was beautiful," I said as I looked at the piece of paper where the lyrics were written.

"Nah, it's not even finished yet," he shrugged, smiling. "The song will be more beautiful if I wrote it with you, so let's finish this?"

"I'd love to," I smiled.

xxx

The song was finally finished and we smiled, looking in each other's eyes. Blue meets brown. Whenever I look at him, I was safe. I was at home again. Nick's where I belong. No matter how much Selena will get hurt if she knows I feel like this towards Nick, I really don't mind right now. If this was how she felt whenever she was with him, I'm sure she'll understand. The only hard part was... I'm her _best friend. _Nick played the rest of the finished song and I immediately felt better, like I wasn't even sick earlier.

"That was beautiful," I grinned.

**Nick**

I stared at Miley's face, taking in her beauty. Her blue eyes lit up once the song was over and I knew she loved it. Miley had a talent. She was good at writing a song and our voices blended and it was angelic. My heart beated faster than usual and my breath was caught in my throat as I looked at her face. I never really knew why I never noticed her beautiful face when we were still mortal enemies. It was probably because she was always pissed off to see me.

"Like you," I whispered. I knew I couldn't resist it anymore. Her face was inches from mine and she never looked so beautiful. There was a smile playing on both of our lips and before I knew it, I was leaning in and I pressed my lips against hers.

It was more than just a spark. They were like fireworks as my stomach did flips. Miley kissed back as I smiled against her lips. We pulled away from our passionate kiss and Miley's smile faded. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong... I think I'm in love with you," Miley admitted.

"I _know _I'm in love with you," I said making Miley grin. We reconnected our lips, sharing another passionate but soft kiss. It had more spark than Selena and I's kisses. I knew I was in love. I just didn't trust myself. There was no where I'd rather be than right here with Miley. I wrapped her in my arms, feeling her hot skin and I immediately thought about Selena. They were best friends... how is she going to react about this?

**a/n: okay, I know this chapter is shorter than usual. I'm sorry but things are going crazy right now. So far, this is **my favorite chapter. NILEY! Finally! Haha. It's all niley and no one else in it. Reviews, please? :) 14-17 reviews for the next one. :D

Love ya'll. :) ; Rica.


	11. Chapter 11

**a/n: late update. D: my vacation isn't really the vacation I expected. Haha. This is whack. :) reviews?**

_Can't Have You ; Chapter Eleven_

**Nick**

Miley's hot skin rubbed against mine as I pulled her closer. She smiled up at me, resting her head against my chest. I placed a kiss on her head, inhaling her strawberry scent. It felt so amazing to feel her so close to me, to feel her heartbeat. It was like we were one. None of us spoke and we both know the silence was enough. Miley closed her eyes then opened the left one and giggled. "Nicholas," I heard her say making me snap out of my thoughts. I stared down at the girl in my arms as the orange light beamed down her face. She smiled her Miley smile and she looked beautiful.

"Yes?" I let out a soft chuckle. Her eyes darted down the floor, the smile never leaving her face. She took my hand in hers and started drawing invisible circles on it leaving tingles in my hand up to my arm.

"What are you thinking? You're thinking too much," Miley said, "I can tell." she said as she looked up at me, meeting my eyes. Blue meets brown. Her eyes glimmered under the light making it hard for me to focus and think.

"I'm not thinking too much, Miles." I smiled down at her. "I was just... wondering. About things. Like how lucky I am to be here with you." her smile grew bigger as she bit her lower lip. Miley let go of my hand and I felt like I lost a part of me.

"I need to tell you something." she said, her smile fading slightly as she sighed. "I don't know what to do about it. I'm just so..."

"What is it?" I asked. It wasn't a demand but a curious question.

Miley inhaled, her eyes on the floor. "Liam just asked me yesterday to be his girlfriend." she said making me freeze. What if she said yes? Was I already too late? But she said she was in love with me. Not Liam and not not with anybody else. "I said I'll think about it. But now that I told you I was in love with you, I'm sure that it's a no."

"What if you never told me?" I sighed.

"I still won't answer it. I need to make sure I was in love with the right person. Not the wrong one." she smiled softly at me. "I'm looking at the right person right now. He sends butterflies around my stomach, he makes my heart beat faster, he makes me smile and he's always there for me. He's my best friend."

I smiled at her as I leaned down, pressing my lips against her, kissing her softly. She pulled away, biting her lower lip. "You should get some rest now. You're fever might get worse." I whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Okay," she nodded, scooting away from my lap. Miley lied down the bed and I placed the icepack back to her forehead. It wasn't that cold anymore but it still would help lessen her heat. I placed my hand on her neck and she was still as hot as she was earlier. I pulled the covers over her shoulders as she closed her eyes. I could tell she fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes. It was already ten in the evening and I knew I should get going.

"Night, Miles." I smiled as I kissed her on the cheek. I made my way to the door, turning off the lights along the way and left. The smile never left my face as I crossed the hall and walked in my room.

The feeling of Miley near me was... _magical_. I never felt this way before, even to Selena. I wasn't a jerk for forcing myself to love her just because I didn't want her to get hurt. I was unfair. I didn't let her know that my love for her was true. It was kind of like cheating, if you ask me. Miley was the only one who knew but she didn't Selena either. Both of us were good friends of hers and we'd do anything just to see her smile and laugh. Don't get me wrong, Selena was beautiful. She was amazing. It's not fair either to compare her to Miley.

They were best friends, for God's sake. Selena was sweet, caring and she was innocent. We never fought or agued and she never said anything hurtful. Miley, on the other hand, is cheery and loud. She's never boring to be with and her laugh was contagious, that's for sure. Miley had this twinkle in her eyes whenever she was truly happy and it was hard to tell if she's sad or hurt. Miley had a skill for hiding those kind of emotions. Whenever she'd smile her happy Miley smile, everyone and everything around her would smile with her.

Miley gave life to the sentence, "smile and the whole world will smile with you," literally. It was hard to stay mad at her either. Even though she was annoying, occasionally, I still long for her voice and her laughter and her stories. She had a lot to share to the world. Miley was smart also. She doesn't let anyone tell her what to do and she knows how to separate right from wrong. I know she wouldn't make mistakes that would make her regret everything but she's still human. Miley would make mistakes in the future and she'd find a way to make everything right.

From the past month we spent together, it was like I've been with her ever since we were born. I regret being her mortal enemy. I knew she calls me that behind my back to Selena and they'd giggle about it. I wouldn't mind it, though. Girls were girls. Miley would always have that pissed look on her face whenver she sees me and I swear I could see her glaring at me whenever Selena wasn't with me. It was like she wanted to murder me. But back then, I could already tell she was beautiful. She just needed to smile more.

The first time we met was alright. It wasn't bad and it wasn't the best meeting, either but it was enough to irritate her.

_Miley held onto the steering wheel, singing along with the songs in her car. It was Tuesday morning and it was a typical school day. Some was chitchatting in the campus and some were just on their way to the school. Miley was one of them. She drove around the corner of the school parking lot, spotting the only parking space. She was about to parallel park when a black and white mustang raced off and took the space before she could. _

"_Urgh! Come on! I saw that first!" Miley yelled to herself, honking the horn over and over again. Nick stepped out of his mustang and so did she. With a glare and a straight face, Miley walked over to the guy that took her parking spot. "Excuse me, but that space was supposed to be mine. I saw it first, you see." she said, crossing her arms across her chest tightly. There wasn't any space left and if she tried to find one again, she'd be late. She was never late. Never._

"_Miss, you do know the saying, 'you snooze, you lose' right? I go by that rule, you see." Nick said, a slight smirk playing on his lips making her get a whole lot more irritated. Her eyes narrowed as she took another step forward towards him._

"_Well if you know that, I think you're perfectly aware of the saying 'ladies first' right? If you aren't well then you're not a gentleman or... you're gay." Miley said making the guy next to them laugh slightly. Miley has now a smirk on her face as she watched Nick get insulted._

"_I think you don't my name. I'm sorry, let me introduce myself. I'm Nick Grey. Captain of the football team. Senior. Dated at least eight girls." Nick said as Miley scoffed. The smirk on Nick's face left and it was replaced with a glare. He was seriously hating the woman. _

"_Add this: And gay," Miley smirked, as Nick's eyes turned into slits. "Nice to meet you. I'm Miley. Senior. Sarcastic. Hates guys who take my parking space which I obviously saw first. My car was there before yours was." she said as she glared at the guy in front of him._

"_You just didn't see my car. I clearly saw it first. Okay?" Nick said, ready to walk away. Miley grabbed his arm, the glare still not leaving her face._

"_You're not going anywhere. I'm going to be freaking late. I'm never late! Never. I'm not going to let you ruin my perfect attendance," Miley groaned as she pulled his arm, making him stumble back to where he was before. "If I'm going to be late, then so will you."_

"_So? I'm always late," Nick smirked, "You just want me to be with you. Because you think I'm 'cute' or 'hot'. Am I right?" _

"_You're so wrong in so many levels," Miley said in disgust. "You're not my type. Don't flatter yourself, Brown, Black, Yellow, Blue, Pink or whatever you're last name is. You're just a sweaty football player. Don't be assuming."_

"_My last name's Grey, smarty pants," Nick rolled his eyes. "Football is a sport. I bet your boyfriend can't win a game."_

"_Yeah, whatever. Nobody cares." Miley waved her hand carelessly in the air."I don't have a boyfriend, genius."_

"_No surprise there," he winked, smirking. Nick started walking away, making Miley get more and more irritated. "Nice meeting you, Milly or Mully or Melly. It's your problem now." he said without looking back and just continuing on walking. Miley didn't bother stopping him this time, knowing they'll just fight more and it would get them nowhere._

"_It's Miley, you jerk! Ugh! It's not even a pleasure to meet you! It's not even close to nice!" Miley called out. Nick didn't look back making her exhale. This was great. Her attendance wasn't perfect anymore. She marched back to her car, muttering words to herself and she heard the bell rang. Perfect. Just perfect. "God! Gimme a break!"_

Nick chuckled, remembering that day. Miley didn't really know how to surrender when it comes to a fight. Her goal was to win.

"_I'm glad you came," Selena smiled at Nick as she opened the door. She gave him a peck on the lips before closing the door again. Nick walked in the house, sittng down the couch, a smile on his lips._

"_So what's up?" Nick asked as she watched Selena sit down beside him. He intertwined his hand with hers as she sat there, a grin on her face. They were now officially dating and it happened just the other day. _

"_I want you to meet someone. Someone important," Selena smiled as she scooted her hip to the left so she could get a better view of Nick. He gulped. What if she wanted to introduce him to her parents. He wasn't ready. _

"_Who is it?" Nick asked, trying to hide his nervousness. _

"_She'll be here soon. She's my best friend. You're going to love her. She's sweet, has a good sense of humor, fun and loud. I bet she's on her way by now." Selena grinned, not able to hide her excitement. Nick wasn't really interested in meeting her best friend. But then again, since they were dating now, he wanted to be close to her friends also._

_The doorbell rang and Selena squealed slightly in her seat before getting up and answering the door. There stood a tall, slender girl and he already knew she was going to be beautiful. Then she stepped into the living room. Nick's eyes widened, recognizing who she was. It was the girl she argued with the other week just because of a parking space. _

"_Nicky, this is my best friend: Miley. Miley this is Nicky." Selena grinned, obviously happy. Miley's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. This wasn't a good month for her. A couple of seconds later, Selena noticed the looks on their faces and became confused. "What's wrong?"_

"_Sel! That's the dude! He's the one that stole my parking space and ruined my perfect attendance! How could you date that horrible person?" Miley exclaimed making Nick scoff. Selena opened her mouth to say something but closed it once Nick interrupted._

"_Whoa, whoa. I'm supposed to be the one who's surprised here. Sel, how could you be best friends with this nagging woman who over reacts about a stupid parking space? Don't you think that's just pathetic?" Nick said as she stared at Selena._

"_Pathetic? Pathetic! That's my attendance we're talking about here! How could you be so selfish. You're always late anyway so why didn't you just give me the space?" Miley started to yell._

"_Sel!" both of them shouted making her jump slightly._

"_Enough, guys! This is stupid! My best friend and my boyfriend fighting? Come on, guys this is like first grade! This is immature!" Selena shouted shutting up both of them. "You guys make this work, okay? I don't wanna hear you fighting again."_

"_But he started it_–"

"_No, no. Don't go blaming this on each other. Get over it, guys. This is stupid." Selena rolled her eyes at them. "I never should've introduced you to each other in the first place if I know this is how you're going to react."_

"_I'm sorry," Miley and Nick sighed at the same time but continued to exchange death looks. Miley was the annoyed person here. Nick was just trying to make fun out of this but the brunette was taking it too seriously. Miley knew, however, that his hate for him will never go away._

**Miley**

The fever went away quickly and the next day I woke up, I was feeling a whole lot better than I did last night. I walked through the hallway with a smile playing on my lips. My head went from side to side, trying to find Nick. The bell was about to ring in five minutes but I still didn't spot him. I sighed inwardly and just decided to go to class before I was late. I walked in the room, seeing that Penny was the only student in there. Her blond hair cascaded down her shoulders as she bowed her head. She was writing something on a notebook and I made my way to my usual seat.

Once I walked past her, she looked up and followed me. I sat down and watched as Penny approached me, a smile plastered on her thin face. Her skirt swayed as she walked and sat down the next seat. I gave her a small smile, finding it awkward to be in the same room with her. "You're Miley, right? Hi, I'm Penny," she smiled as she held out her hand.

I smiled softly, thinking she wasn't really bad. "Miley. Nice to meet you," I shook her hand as she shuffled in her seat to face me. Students were now slowly filling the room.

"So, how are you?" Penny asked, trying to start a small conversation as she shrugged her thin shoulders. "Random, huh? Sorry, I'm not really good at starting the conversation." she giggled.

"I think you're doing pretty well," I let out a soft giggle. "I'm doing good. Life's great here." I smiled. From observing Penny, we were like the total opposites. She's blond, I'm a brunette. She's formal and simple, I'm outrageous and loud. She's quite pale and I'm tanned.

"You're dating Liam Blakely, right? You're so lucky. I mean, he's a quarterback, he's tall, he's blond, a lot of girls are so into him. Who wouldn't be? He's the total package. He's not my type, though. I'm into quiet guys. The ones girls aren't after," Penny said making my eyes widened. My jaw dropped open, not believing what I just heard. I didn't even say yes to Liam yet and suddenly the word spreads around the campus? What would Nick say?

"W-What... where'd you get that? I'm not dating Liam. We're good friends. Nothing more, nothing less," I answered, hoping she'd believe me before she'd continue to spread the word. I silently prayed it didn't get to Nick yet before we could talk today.

"I don't know. I just heard it around the campus," she answered. My stomach tied and I groaned inwardly. Maybe Liam started the whole thing. But I trust Liam. He wouldn't do that. He's a really nice guy... at least that's what I know.

"Well it's not true," I let out a nervous chuckle. "Please... spread that around."

"You don't want to date Liam, do you?" Penny wiggled her eyebrows making me giggle slightly. "Come on! Date the guy. He's super hot. A lot of girls will hate you though. Like my best friend Jane," she giggled.

"I don't think so," I replied, simply.

"Why? Who do you like?" she smiled, leaning forward. She used her elbows for support as she leaned closer to me, wanting to hear every word I'll say.

"You first," I returned the question to her and her smile got double times bigger. "I'm guessing he's cute, huh?" I giggled.

"Uh, duh!" Penny squealed. "He's Nick Grey. He's so intense and quiet and everytime I'm with him, I get butterflies. He's so adorable and he has the most amazing brown eyes–"

"Nick?" I asked, "Grey?"

**Nick**

I held onto my backpack, as I made my way to the coffee shop to meet up with Miley. We were sorta kinda dating now since what happened yesterday and I couldn't be any happier. The girl of my dreams was now mine and who would've thought she was the one? She has me wrapped around her finger and she's not even aware of it. A smile started forming on my lips, realizing I'll be with her again after a long, hard day. We didn't get the chance to talk to each other today, even during at lunch.

The coffee shop was just around the corner and I couldn't wait to step in there and see the girl. _My girl_. I couldn't wait to kiss those pink lips and stare into that blue eyes that shines. I couldn't wait to hold her in my arms and take in her scent. I was in love with my best friend slash former mortal enemy. The thought made me chuckle though. From enemies to best friends to lovers. I don't want it to be vice versa, though. Lovers to enemies to best friends. The thought made me scared. I didn't want to lose her.

Just as I was about to make the turn to the coffee shop, I heard someone call me behind my back. "Hey Grey!" I turned around to see a tall, blond aussie standing in front of me. His eyes were intense and I had a feeling this was going to be unpleasant.

**a/n: I apologize for the late updates. D: my cousins here won't let me use the freaking internet. Ugh. Reviews will make me haaappy. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**na/n: review and enjoy. (:**

_Can't Have You ; Chapter Twelve _

**Nick**

There stood the tall, blond aussie with a blank expression on his face. I turned around, keeping the same face as I watched him come closer to me, step by step. I never realized how tall he was. He could squish me like a puny little bug in a blink of an eye. I was certain he wasn't Miley's time. I mean, have you seen him? He must be at least six feet tall. Liam blocked the sun as he squinted down at me.

"Hey," I nodded. I shoved my hands into my pocket, wanting to get this over with. For a junior, he pretty much looked like a dad already. His mustache and beard are starting to appear like little spikes on his upper lip and chin. Yeah, he really didn't suit the sweet Miley.

He didn't say anything for a second and just continued to stare. "I just need to tell you something," he said making my heart beat faster. He must've found out already that me and Miley are something more now. The big guy can crush anything and anyone in his way.

"What is it?" I asked as I looked around, trying to see if Miley came out. I didn't want her to see us talking or arguing.

"The coach wanted me to tell you that you got in the football team. He said you're an awesome little player for a freshman. The results are supposed to be out next week but he said you should come training with us earlier than the others that tried out. So, you up for it?" Liam asked making my heart stopped pumping harder than it should be. I immediately relaxed.

"Sure. Tell the coach I'll be tomorrow," I answered, nodding. He smiled a small, crooked smile before turning his head to side to side. He seemed nervous and I could tell there was something he needed to tell me but he can't. "Something bugging you?"

"No, not really," he chuckled. "Hey, Grey. You're Miley's best friend, right? I mean, the both of you are always together ever since the first day of the semester so... anyway, I just wanted to ask you a favor, if you don't mind. It's just a tiny little favor."

"Uh..." I said, unsure of how to respond. "Sure, fine. What's that?"

"Awesome," Liam grinned, "I just want you to ask Miley things about me. Like, if she's really into me or something and if she's going to say yes to me. Miley's just amazing and I think about her every night. What I'd give just to call her mine. It's just... I can't even explain it. Dude to dude, I bet you know what I'm saying."

l feel the exact same thing about her at the time. I wanted to tell him she was mine already but I knew I didn't have the right to tell him that. That was Miley's job. "Yeah, I know," I said, feeling awkward that another guy feels the exact same way to Miley. "Sure. I'll, uh... go ask later."

"Thanks," he said, "You really are an awesome little dude," Liam chuckled, patting my back. It felt like I've been hit my a train when he did it. What more if he actually punched my face? It would break... miserably.

"No problem," I said as I watched him stalk off and join his group of friends. I sighed to myself, not believing I just agreed to do what he said. That really was the power of being big and strong.

I turned around, going back to the direction of the coffee shop. I finally reached the door and I pushed it open, the aroma of coffee and cakes filling my nostrils. I smiled as I looked around, spotting the brunette girl that I was in love with. Her chin was propped on her palm as she stared out the window, thinking deeply. It made me worried slightly. I took giant steps towards her, wanting to hold her already. She noticed my prescence making her snap out of her thoughts and look up. A smile immediately plastered on her face as she stood up.

"Nicky," Miley giggled as she wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. "What took you so long? I was waiting for twenty minutes. I was getting worried. I thought you weren't going to show up," she said, a hint of pout on her lips.

"Hey, I would never stand you up," I smiled, pressing my lips against her forehead, "I was just talking to somebody. He, uh, wanted me to do something." I said as I watched her nod. "How was your day?"

"Same old, same old," she smiled, sitting back down her chair and sipping her iced latte. Her eyes were glimmering again as she looked up at me. I sat down the chair in front of her as I glanced at the menu on the wall of the counter. "How 'bout yours? Got any news?"

"Same day, too. Oh yeah, I'm in the football team. They want me to train early with them. The coach said I was an awesome little player," I grinned as I played with the straw on the table. Miley's eyes widened as her smile grew bigger.

"Oh my god, are you serious? That's great! See, I told you. There's nothing embarrassing about trying out for the team. They really could use someone like you," Miley smiled. "I just want you to do one tiny little thing."

"What's that?" I chuckled, lightly.

"Don't hit on the cheerleaders, okay?" Miley giggled.

"I already have the best," I smiled as I rose from my seat, grabbing her hand. "Let's head to the beach. There aren't much people around so we'll have the place all to ourselves."

"On a school night?" she said as we left the coffee shop. I nodded, chuckling as I intertwined my hand with hers, squeezing it slightly. The beach wasn't far away. It was within a walking distance from the school. We finally reached the beach and I was right. It was empty. The seagulls were flying above as the sun started to set. We were in perfect timing.

Miley removed her heels from her feet before stepping into the sand. She wiggled her toes, loving the feeling of the sand beneath her feet. The breeze blew her hair into different directions, but still she looked beautiful. The sea was peaceful and the waves crashed into the shore with a rhythm. "The sun is setting," Miley grinned.

"Perfect timing," I smiled as I removed my Converse and socks before we started to walk along the beach. The sky was beautiful and the clouds had a mixture of the colours orange, red and yellow. We walked along the shore, the waves crashing on our bare feet that made Miley smile even more.

"Nick?" Miley said as she looked up at me. "Penny likes you."

"What made you say that?" I asked as we stopped walking for a moment. She faced me, a worried look on her face. Maybe this was what she has been thinking about earlier at the coffee shop. Miley was getting worried about me spending time with her.

"We talked earlier," she started, "she sat down beside me and asked me about Liam and she started saying that I was dating him. I said no, I wasn't. The rumors aren't true. Then Penny started asking, then who do you like? I said you first. She answered Nick Grey. Penny said you had gorgeous brown eyes and a beautiful crooked smile–"

"Miles, don't mind that," I chuckled as she held her gaze steady down the sand. "she's just my friend. Nothing more, nothing less. I told you I'm in love with you, didn't I? And that will never change." I smiled as a small grin appeared on her lips.

"It just bugged me the whole day. I mean, when I was spending time with Liam, you were spending time with Penny. And during your football tryouts, you forgot that I was even there and you left with her. I was kind of... sort of... jelous," she said, letting out a soft giggle at the last word she said.

"You were _jelous_?" I grinned, holding back a chuckle. "I'm sorry 'bout that. But I was there when you were sick, remember? So I didn't forget you." I chuckled.

"Yes, I was. Don't blame me, I'm a girl," Miley smiled. "Thanks for that, by the way. I really thought I was going to die," she giggled as we continued to walk. There were crabs on the sand that we tried to dodge.

"You weren't really that sick, Mi," I said as I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me. "But that night meant the world to me. There was something special that time. And I could still feel it right now, if you only know."

"I do, too," Miley smiled as we stopped again. Her arms were wrapped around my neck as she rested her forehead against mine. I pulled her closer to me, closing the gap that was between us. "I love you, Nicholas. I never thought I'd say that even in my wildest imagination." she giggled.

I smiled back, inhaling her scent. "I love you, more," I whispered. "Maybe you didn't see this but I did... sort of." I chuckled. The day that we first met flooded my mind and I couldn't help but grin wider. "You called me gay."

"Well you called me Milly," she giggled, "And you took my parking space, you ruined my perfect attendance, you pissed me off and you got me detention. That day was perfect. 'Cause I met you."

"That was the only bright side," I laughed, softly. "But you struck me the first time I saw you. You stood out, you know. You're different from all the other girls that I don't even understand it anymore."

"Is that good?" Miley arched her eyebrow, smirking.

"Sort of," I chuckled as I leaned in, pressing my lips against hers. She smiled against my lips as I tasted her strawberry lipgloss making me want her more. I carried her, bridal style, our lips still connected. The kiss was perfect. It was soft and filled with want. I could kiss the girl all my life and never get tired of it. I layed her down the sand as I hovered over her. I pulled away, needing air. There was a smirk playing on her lips.

"You're such a good kisser," she giggled. "You get a lot of practice, do you?"

"I'm a natural, actually," I chuckled, softly. "You're not so bad yourself for a girl who only had one ex-boyfriend."

"I guess I'm just a natural, too. Or maybe it's because I'm kissing you," Miley smirked as she pulled my shirt, crashing her lips against mine. She started to kiss, roughly as she rolled over so she was on top of me. Miley pressed her body against mine making me groan. She pulled away, sitting up on my stomach. "That's enough for now," she giggled.

"I'm not even–"

"Sorry," Miley teased as she got off of me, standing up and dusting the sand off of her pants. "You should've enjoyed it while it lasted," she giggled as she grabbed my hand, trying to pull me up.

"I did. I'm still not contented, though," I chuckled as I stood up and giving her a quick peck on the lips. "Got'cha," I smirked as I wrapped my arms around her waist. "You're not going anywhere." I said as I secured my grip.

"Nicholas Jerry Grey!" Miley giggled, "Release me now," she said as she squirmed in my arms. I laughed as she accidentally hit her head with her own hand. She held it in pain as she glared at me.

"Don't hurt yourself, Mi," I chuckled as I finally released her. I forgot about everything. It was just me and Miley. I forgot about Liam, Selena, everything. Miley laughed as she ran away from me. "Where are you going now?" I called out, laughing as I caught up to her.

"Away from you," she giggled as she stopped in her tracks to breathe. "God, I need exercise." I scooped her up in my arms, laughing as I placed her down, my arms still around her. "No fair, I was resting!" Miley laughed, panting.

"Who said this game had rules?" I chuckled she finally surrendered, still panting.

"Fine, you win!" she smiled as she stood up. "You could be a personal trainer. You really know how to make someone sweat. It's seven in the evening and I'm sweating like it's twelve in the afternoon."

"You're welcome," I grinned as I kissed her neck from behind her back. "You taste like salt," I chuckled as I kissed her neck again, hugging her from behind.

"That's an aquatic taste, Nicholas. It's rare," Miley giggled as she finally breathed normally. Her strawberry scent stayed and it was like a drug to me. Once I start inhaling it, I know I couldn't stop. I didn't want to ask Miley those questions Liam just asked me to. I didn't want to ruin the perfect night. "It's getting dark, you know. But I wanna sleep here, under the stars with you."

"We have classes tomorrow," I smiled. "We'll just do that in the weekends. We can set up a tent here and a fire. Just the both of us," I said and Miley's eyes lit up, liking the idea. I pulled her closer to me, smiling my lovesick smile that only her could cause. We stood there for a while, listening to each other's heartbeats. Other people would think it was too early to tell if we really were in love with each other. From my point of view in life, time doesn't tell you if you're really for each other... your heart does.

My heart is screaming Miley's name. From all of the girls I met, Miley is the first one I've loved more than my own life. I didn't know that was possible until now. The moon rose above us and the beach was now dark, the moonlight our only source of light. The breeze cooled the both of us down as I watched her close her eyes, a contented smile spreading across her face. She was the most beautiful thing I have ever since. I started to think how bad it will hurt if I lose her. Just thinking of it makes me flinch, my heart sinking slightly.

A worried look appeared on my face and Miley knew what I was thinking. She gave me a comforting smile before burying her face in my chest. "I know what you're thinking, Nick. That will never happen," she whispered, her arms around my torso. I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "I wouldn't let that happen."

"I won't either," I mumbled, a small smile playing on my lips. We listened to the waves crashing on the shore and the humming of the wind. After a short silence, I broke the silence, knowing I should probably tell her what I needed to tell right now. "Miles?"

"hmm?" she hummed as she looked up, her eyes glimmering under the moonlight.

"Liam still doesn't know. Earlier before I went to the coffee shop, he asked me to do a favor. He wanted me to ask you if you're going to say yes. He said that you were something else and he said he thinks about you every night," I said, "It's awkward knowing there's another guy out there at feels that way about you, too."

"I'm planning on telling him tomorrow," Miley looked away, her gaze travelling around the beach. "I just don't know how to. Liam's a great guy and I don't want to hurt him. He was also there when I need someone to talk to, he made me smile and he's like a brother. Back then, I thought I really liked him. But the more time I spend with you, the more I realized that I don't. He's nothing more but a friend..."

"You know how to say this. You're a smart girl, Miley. If he really does like you, he'll let you be happy and he won't force you into things you don't want to do," I said as I stroked her soft curls. "He'll understand."

"I hope he does," she sighed, her eyes finally landing back on mine. A grin slowly appeared on her face as she let out a soft giggle. "I didn't understand myself back then. I kept saying to myself that I'm not in love with you and I like Liam. That's why I was so confused. But then I grew tired. I knew I should stop lying to myself and just let my heart lead me. It lead me to you, Nick. The last person I never thought I'd say I love you to."

I chuckled, lightly as I leaned in, kissing the tip of her nose making her giggle. "I'm so glad you surrendered. Or else Liam would be probably be the one doing this to you right now," I said, smiling. "I love you, Miley Ray. More than anyone else."

"I love you too, Nicholas Jerry," Miley grinned as I kissed her, lovingly.

xxx

**Miley**

I could consider tonight one of the best nights of my life. It was just me and him alone in the beach. There was nothing more I could ask for. I walked into my room, the smile never leaving my face. I could still feel Nick's soft kisses on my lips and on my neck. Butterflies errupted in my stomach just thinking about him. I sat down in front of my desk, opening my laptop. I logged on Skype, hoping that Selena was online. Of course, I wasn't going to tell her about me and Nick yet. She was my best friend...

I checked my phone, seeing that Nick left a goodnight message making me smile. After a couple of minutes, Selena was finally online and I clicked on her name, a small box on the screen appearing. Selena waved at the webcam, grinning widely. I waved back, smiling. "Sel! How are you there? You're not online that often anymore. I miss you," I said.

"I know, I'm sorry," Selena said through the webcam. "I'm starting to have fun here. I met this cute guy a few days ago. His name is David and he has deep brown eyes like Nick's and he's so smart and we're both from California. Isn't that great? I finally have at least one friend here. How 'bout you there? You having fun?"

"You could say that," I giggled as I watched my best friend smile at me. "The school's great. It's everything we ever expected and more, Sel. Ugh, if only you're here. I'm not really Ms. Popular here and it's harder to make friends."

"I wish I could," she sighed, looking down. "I'm glad you're having fun there. Don't worry. You'll be more comfortable next year. Once you're a sophomore there, you'll know at least half of the school already."

"It's in the middle of the school year and my only friend – Mandy isn't exactly my friend anymore. She found another group of friends. She's starting to ignore me now. I think she got in the cheerleading team," I shrugged as I played with the phone in my hand, flipping it open and close.

"At least you have Nick there," Selena said making me caught off-guard, my heart thumping faster than usual.

"What do you mean?"

"You guys are friends, right?" she asked, my best friend giving me a confused look. I immediately relaxed, chuckling nervously and nodding my head fiercely.

"Yeah! Yeah, you're right. Pfft. I–I... you're–" I stuttered as I watched her nod, chuckling. She was obviously confused. My heart was still thumping, scared that she might find out. I wanted to tell her at the right place and at the right time.

"Yeah..." she nodded.

"Be right back," I said, wanting to get a hold of myself. I placed the phone in front of my laptop, walking quickly into the bathroom. I quickly splashed water on my face, wanting to focus so I wouldn't blow it. I wiped my damp face with a dry towel, doing some pep-talk to myself. "Shut up, okay? You're a secret's vault. She's your best friend. You won't hurt her. You won't," I said to myself before walking out of the bathroom and sitting back down.

"Miley?" Selena said, a heavily confused look on her face. "Is that Nick? On your wallpaper?" she asked and I glanced at my phone. It was left opened and I froze, not knowing how to explain what my best friend just saw.

**a/n: does anyone know the real name of the guy that calls himself "Never Shout Never"? LMAO:)) I'm too lazy to look it up on Google. x) reviews, please. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**a/n: I like updating Can't Have You more. People actually review this story. :) Please review on See Through Me, also. It's harder to write than this one. Review and enjoy. **

_Can't Have You ; Chapter Thirteen_

**Miley**

The light coming from the laptop that rested on my desk made me slightly woozy. I could feel my heart pumping hard as I watched Selena's face grow in confusion. This wasn't the way how I wanted her to know about Nick and I. I knew I had to answer the very minute she asked so she'd know I wasn't hiding anything. I reached for the phone, quickly closing it and holding it up the webcam as I tried my best to make up a story. My mouth was opened but no words were coming out.

"This... This isn't my phone. I, uh–it's Jane's phone. She's my friend and she wanted me to keep this until the party she's going to is over so she won't hear her mom calling. It annoys her a lot. She has this obsessive crush on Nick. I should know, she keeps on telling me about it," I lied smoothly as I watched her nod. The confusion on her face still wasn't going away.

"But it looks like your phone and–"

"I upgraded the minute I got here. I'm using a Blackberry now," I smiled, hating the feeling in my stomach. I hated lying to my own best friend when I know what she was feeling at the time. Selena wasn't over Nick yet completely and we all know it was still going to take a while. "You want me to show you?"

"No need, Mi." She giggled, shaking her head. I couldn't help but sigh in relief, the tension in my body fading. Guilt was now rushing over my body as I stared at my innocent-looking best friend. Pain was still in her eyes and it was obvious she still was heart broken. "I was just surprised."

"Why would I make the picture of Nick my wallpaper? Remember, I used to hate him. We're friends now, though," I said as I kept my gaze on the other side of the screen instead on her face. I didn't have the strength to look her in the eyes when I was doing something completely wrong.

"That's good to hear," Selena smiled sincerely as she looked down again, playing with her ring. She wanted to tell me something but she was holding back. "So... how is Nick? Is he doing fine?" she asked, finally looking up.

"He's doing good, I guess. The same old Nick," I shrugged my shoulders, nodding.

"Does he... mention me?" Selena asked hopefully, sighing. She met my eyes and there I saw the broken Selena I knew before she left for London. She looked so vulnerable and so small. I hated seeing her like this. I closed my eyes, holding back the tears that are almost sliding down.

"Sometimes, he does. He wonders what you're doing and if you're okay. He misses you, Sel. He said he's missing a sister or a friend," I said, feeling my heart get cut. I had to say those words even though I knew it would hurt her a lot. It was for her own good. She can't keep on waiting for Nick... she'll only get hurt.

"He's missing a friend? A sister?" Selena repeated and looked down, closing her eyes. I heard her sniff before she looked up, biting her lower lip. "Tell him I miss him, too. I'm missing a Nick in my life." her voice quivered and I knew she was about to break down.

"Oh Sel..." I whispered, wanting to hug her. "I'm sorry..."

"What are you sorry for?" she let out a soft giggle, wiping a tear away from her eye. "I shouldn't even be bothered by this. I-I'm over him anyway. Who needs a boyfriend, right? I'm happy being single."

"Sel, you don't have to be strong all the time," I said, a small smile on my face. "It's not bad to be scared every once in a while. You tell me that often, remember? I miss you. I miss everything that we do together."

"I remember," Selena grinned, "I miss you more. I miss our sleepovers, movie marathons and everything. I don't really have a girl friend here. They think I'm too 'overrated'. I'm not even close. And they think I'm weird. They'd whisper things to each other behind my back and stuff. It's just too much."

"I'm pretty sure they're just jelous," I giggled, the atmosphere finally lighting up. "Besides, it's going to be much easier next year. Maybe during the summer break you can stay here and we'll have an adventure and bond."

"I can dig that," she smiled. I couldn't help but be glad that she was finally feeling better. "I just have to convince my parents. Like they haven't punished me enough! I'm stuck here in England while they're back there in California. I don't even have any relatives here. Well, except maybe my aunt – but I don't even know her."

"Chill, I'm sure they won't say no to Smiley Miley, right?" I winked, "You're going here this summer no matter what it takes. I'm going to cancel everything just to bond with you. That's how much I miss you."

"You better," Selena let out a soft laugh. "Well, I have to go. I have homework to do. It was nice talking to, Mi. It means a lot to me."

"Me, too. I can't wait to see this summer," I smiled. "I'll talk to you soon. Miss you." I said as I blew an air-kiss on the webcam making her giggle. I signed off of Skype and sighed in exhaustion. I flopped down the bed, tired from making up those crazy excuses to Selena.

I closed my eyes, trying to ease the pain in my forehead. I didn't know I was capable of doing this to someone I care about. But come to think of it, I was doing it for love. I was in doubt crazy in love with Nicholas Jerry Grey and no one could ever change that. He was the only guy that made me feel as if I was so invincible. Whenever I'm in his arms, it was as if I could do anything. Whenever I'm not, I felt so... plain and ordinary. I smiled to myself, thinking about how he said 'I love you' to me. I wanted to go crazy at that time.

Then after a couple of seconds, my thoughts started drifting back to Selena. I started imagining a scene where she'd tell I wasn't a good friend and after all these years, I was able to do that to her. To her own best friend. I couldn't handle that situation and I didn't want it to end up that way. There were two sides on the problem. I wanted to stick on one side but both were unfair. I would break my friendship with Selena if I continued my relationship with Nick and it would be unfair to her, also. If I broke up with Nick, I would break him and myself. There wasn't a really a good choice.

Out of all the people in the world, why did I have to fall in love with Nick–my best friend's ex. I groaned, rolling on my belly. There was a faint knock on the door making my headache worse. I ignored the knock, thinking it was probably just Mandy. She wasn't treating me well nowadays, acting like she doesn't know me and all. I rolled my eyes, sighing. "Miley?" the voice said. "Let me in please," it said again.

I stomped my way towards the door, opening it and yelling, "What!" my eyes widened, realizing it was Nick. I ran a hand through my hair, closing my eyes.

"It's just me, Mi. What's wrong?" Nick asked as we stepped into the room. He closed the door behind as I jumped back on the bed. "Did something happen or are you just not happy to see me?" he said with a slight chuckle.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you," I said, looking down and pushing a strand of my hair behind my ear. "I just chatted with Selena earlier. She almost caught me. I shouldn't have let my phone there when I was in the bathroom."

"Caught you where?" he sat down next to me. "That we're together now?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air. "I can't do that to my best friend, Nick! I'm lying to her face and I hurt her feelings because I had to! I'm dating the guy who broke her heart and made her cry for months. How am I supposed to be okay with all of this?" I buried my face in my hands, feeling the tears coming.

"Miles, it's okay," Nick whispered, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me onto his lap. I buried my face into his chest, fighting the urge to break down. "If she really is your best friend, she'd let you be happy even though it means she has to get hurt."

"It's not okay, Nick!" I mumbled against his shirt. "I'm the worst friend ever. I never should've transferred here so I wouldn't see you every single day. I should've ignored you so I wouldn't fall in love. But when I'm with you, everything seems so right and I don't-I don't know what to do!"

"You're not being unfair, Miley. You're human. You make mistakes and a best friend's job is to accept you and let you be happy," he said, stroking my hair. "Selena will understand. You're not just anybody. You're Miley – the girl she's been with ever since she was 4."

"I just feel so bad right now," I sniffed as I felt a single tear slide down my left cheek. I closed my eyes, just wanting every single thought inside my head disappear. "I don't... I don't know what to do."

"Just don't think about it for a couple of days. It will all fall into place someday. We just have to wait and see, okay?" Nick said as he pulled me closer. "I hate seeing you like this."

"I can't wait for a couple of days. What if she finds out? I'm lying to her, Nick. I didn't even know I had the courage and strength to do that! This is impossible," I said, burying my face deeper into his chest.

"She's back in England and–"

"That's the point, she's back in England and she's already miserable enough there. She's coming back here during summer break and once she finds out we're together, I'm going to basically ruin her life. Great. I'm super great," I said, sighing. "Jesus Christ..."

"Then tell her already. Tell her while she hasn't found out yet. That way, it'll give her more time to think and at least she knows you're honest and brave enough to tell her the truth instead of keeping it a secret for months. That's a harder situation, Mi. You know we have to tell her sooner or later," Nick said making my heart feel heavier than it was before.

"I don't know when the right time is!" I told him, throwing my hands in the air again. "Every minute of my life seems like the worst time to tell her."

"Like I said, she's your best friend. You were there with her whenever she needed you. You knew her before you even met me. You're not the one to blame, Miley. No one is so don't be so hard on yourself," he whispered as he pushed the bangs out of my face. I didn't say anything for a second, wanting to leave it there.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" I asked as I looked up, wiping the tear from my cheek. "You're supposed to be in your room, sleeping. We might get in trouble, you know."

"I couldn't sleep so I wanted to stop by here to tell you goodnight. Then I had the feeling that you weren't feeling well and I was right," Nick smiled softly. "Stop worrying too much. Get some sleep."

"That's the problem. I can't sleep," I sighed, looking down. Nick nodded, staying quiet for a while. He did that usually, wanting me to relax and just let the silence bring me wherever it wants. I looked up at him, noticing that he was studying my every move. I couldn't help but smile a small smile as I rested my head against his chest. "This is one of them."

"One of what?" he chuckled.

"Those moments with you when everything is perfect," I answered, exhaling. "I love you, Nick. So much that I don't know what to do anymore."

Nick smiled, leaning in and kissing me softly. Every bad feeling in me suddenly disappeared as soon as his lips touched mine. It was probably the best feeling in the world. "Get some sleep, Miles. We have classes tomorrow," he said as he squeezed my hand softly.

I lied down the bed, pulling the covers over me. I watched as he walked over the light switch, flickering it off, leaving the lamp by the nightstand open. He walked back towards me, sitting down next to me. "I'll see you tomorrow," I smiled slightly.

"And can you at least try harder to sleep this time?" Nick chuckled as he ran his thumb across my cheek, down to my jaw before leaving a kiss on my forehead. "Night, Mi." he said before walking towards the door. I closed my eyes, hearing the door squeak open. "Hey," I heard him call out. I opened one of my eyes making him smile. "I love you."

"You already know my answer, Nicholas," I smiled back, "I love you too." I said as I watched him close the door shut. I rolled on my side, sighing. I stared at the dark side of the room, hoping something there will take me away from everything. I closed my eyes, wanting to get this over with. I wanted to skip the night and just forward to the day so I wouldn't have to have to think for hours.

"I'm sorry, Sel..." I whispered to myself.

xxx

Bodies brushed against me as I tried to make it to my next class. It was only 8 in the morning and my head was already spinning. I wrapped my arms around myself, getting worried that I might fall asleep any second and get stomped by every student in the hallway. I spotted Mandy surrounded with a group of blond girls with bleach white teeth. She had blond highlights now and blond roots. It didn't really suit her. Gone was the girl from Nashville and is now replaced with an unknown specie. I started to walk towards her, wanting to give the friendship thing another shot.

They gave me weird stares as they eyed my dirty Converse and my Beatles shirt. I wanted to show it off in school since it was a limited edition shirt that was once my dad's. I started begging for it ever since I saw it and I wanted to show the whole University that I was a Beatles fan. Mandy was with five other girls and they were all wearing denim skirts and sky high heels. They weren't in high school anymore, please.

"Hey Mandy," I smiled as I glanced at each of their faces before focusing back on her. "What's up? You don't stay in our room often now."

"Uh... you know her, Dy?" the girl from her right said as she twirled her hair on her finger. Aw, how cute. They gave her a nickname that didn't even suit her. "Nice shirt. Some of them are like dead already so get over it."

"Oh, you noticed," I grinned, wanting to piss these girls off. I had a feeling it was going to be fun. "You see, I'm such a big fan that I wanted to show it off. Nice make up, by the way. Did you do it or did you just dip your whole face in 'cause you were running late?"

Before she could even answer, Mandy interrupted. "Shut up, Stewart. Yeah, I know her. She's my roommate. I'm planning on transferring to another room with one of you girls. I can't stand this Tennessee loser."

"Maybe you forgot, you're from Nashville. Get over yourself, Mandy. What happened to you? You used to be so sweet and fun. You let these girls ruin you just like that 'cause they're popular. This isn't high school anymore and we're in college so stop this shit and start acting like one," I rolled my eyes at them as I watched the girls glare at me.

"Since when do you care? You're not my freaking mom, Miley. Would you get out of my space?" Mandy groaned as she pushed past me, almost tripping on her own foot. "In case you haven't noticed, I don't wanna be your friend. So stop acting like I am."

"Whatever," I said, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Nice talking to you, Stewart." one of them said as she gave me a small wave and blew a kiss. "You're such an amazing girl," they all laughed as they walked away, thinking the hallway was some sort of runway. I rolled my eyes, wanting to throw rocks at them. It was just overrated.

xxx

"Hey, Miley!" I heard someone call my name as I walked through the campus. I turned around, seeing Liam in his football gear running towards me. "Wow, you walk fast," he chuckled as he took a few breathes before smiling at me.

"Hey, I wanted to talk to you but I can't find you earlier," I shrugged, giving him a small smile. He took a step closer to me, the smile not leaving his face.

"Yeah, um, I was in the field all day training," Liam said. "What'd you want to talk about? I've got time right now. I'm a little sweaty and stinky though so don't mind me. Ignore the fact that I'm embarrassing myself right now," he chuckled, continuing to babble. I giggled, shaking my head.

"No, I don't mind, really," I smiled. "I just wanted to answer your question... the one you asked me days ago when we were in the football field. I wanted to clear it up and I don't want to keep you waiting anymore."

"Let's hear it," his eyes lit up as his smile grew bigger. I gulped, trying to ease the lump on my throat. This was it. "The day you asked me to go out with you, uh... was the day Nick and I started dating. I-I'm sorry, Liam. I didn't want to hurt you so I kept on thinking of ways to tell it to you without being so harsh and–"

"Miles, it's okay," Liam said, his smile growing smaller. Pain was visible in his eyes and my stomach twisted. "That's why I asked you. I want both of us to be okay with it but since you're not, it's cool. Sure, it hurt–a lot–but I'm not forcing you into something you don't wanna do."

"Thank you," I sighed in relief, a smile appearing on my lips. I wrapped my arms around him, giving him a tight embrace. "You're a great guy Liam. You're just... not the one for me. But every girl here would be so lucky if they get your attention. And I'm sure I'm not the one for you, either."

"I feel it, Mi. You're the one for me but I'm not for you. I'm in love with you but you know what they say, once you love something or someone, set them free." he said with a twang of australian accent that I found adorable. "No, thank you. You didn't pretend that you actually wanted to be with me just so you won't hurt my feelings. Thanks for saying it straight to my face, Miles."

"You're welcome... I guess," I said, confusion written all over my face. "You're in love... with me? I-you... you didn't tell me."

"Well I told you, already," he chuckled, pain evident in it. "I'll get over it sooner or later, I guess. I just want you to be happy. You're happy with Nick and that's obvious so let it be. I'm not the selfish type."

"I am right," I smiled, looking up at him. "Every girl would be so lucky to call you hers. I really am sorry, Liam. For leading you on and stuff like that. I really thought I loved you – but, I do. Just in a friend way or a brotherly way. You see, the more I spent time with Nick, the more I realized he was the one for me."

"You didn't lead me on," Liam said, grabbing both of my hands. "I was being too forward, anyway. I told you, everything's fine. I understand. But can promise me something? It's not a big one but it means a lot if you do."

"Sure. What is it?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Promise me that this one's right. That he's not going to hurt you in anyway," Liam said, staring deeply into my eyes. "Can you promise me that?"

"I've never been so sure in my life, Liam. He's not going to hurt me. I promise," I smiled as I gave him one last embrace. "Thanks for being caring."

"You're welcome," he smiled down at me. "Just come to me when you need anything or something. I'd be more happy to help, okay?"

"You, too," I said, "I guess I'll see you later?"

"I'll see you later," he said before letting go of my hands and letting me walk away. I made my way back to the building and I looked back, glancing at him. He was still there, watching me walk away in silence. Just as he was about to walk away, I swore I saw him wipe away a tear. I looked down, feeling bad for hurting so many people already just because I was in love. Was it worth all of these?

**a/n: Sorry for the late update. Okay, I find this chapter corny and boring. Sorry. D: I'm going to write a better chapter, I swear. I understand if you don't review. This sucks. :| reviews are appreciated, though. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**a/n: update. :) School started this week and I'm having a hard time to find time to update. First week of school and it's already miserable. :| to be honest, I'm running out of ideas for this story. I'm trying so hard, though. I won't let you guys down. Sorry for the mistakes and stuff. I worked hard on this. so reviews after reading, please? ;D**

Can't Have You ; Chapter Fourteen

**Miley**

Goosebumps formed all over my arms when a chilly wind passed by. I wrapped my arms around myself as I waited for Nick to show up. My body grew numb on the bench and I wondered why it was so cold tonight. I didn't really expect Liam to take it so calmly and seriously. It made me feel alright and I felt like I owed him for that. I looked around, trying to find the image of Nick emerging from the dark. I sighed to myself as I looked up, letting the stars in the night sky distract me for a while. Everything seemed so calm and peaceful. I was the only one who wasn't.

Footsteps stood out from the sound of the crickets and I looked back, a smile finally appearing on my lips. Nick approached me with a blanket and a flashlight in his hand. He leaned in to wrap the blanket around my shoulders. I scooted to the right, giving him space to sit down. We sat there in the silence for a while as I rested my head on his neck.

"What took you so long?" I asked, looking up at him. Nick met my gaze with a smile as he kissed my forehead softly. "It was getting cold and freaky."

"Sorry. I kind of woke up late," he chuckled making me feel even more secured. It was like music to my ears and I could listen to it for the rest of my life. Since the day I spoke with Selena, my heart would always beat faster when someone would mention her or if I see someone that looked like her. I was always afraid and careful.

"I told Liam already," I announced. "He took it well. In fact, he took it way better than I expected. He was okay with it and he even said that he'll always be there for me when I need anything." Nick listened carefully and nodded.

"Well that's good news. He's a big guy and he could crush me, you know," Nick smiled as he pulled me closer to his side making me giggle.

"I can't believe you're thinking that," I rolled my eyes playfully as I nudged him softly. "Liam would never do that. He knows how much you mean to me. He understands so we need to get over it."

"I am over it," he answered.

"Bad news number one turned into good news and all we have to worry about is bad news number two," I sighed, looking down. "Selena said she'll spend her summer break here. I don't know how to hide the fact that we're dating since I'm always with her and I need to be with you so it's going to be complicated."

"Maybe summer is the right time to tell her. It will give you more time to think about the stuff you need to think about and you can settle this the right way," Nick said as he lifted my chin with his finger. "And I can explain everything to her. This isn't just your problem, Mi. it's mine too. We're in this together."

"I know it's just mine's a bigger deal than yours. You're her ex but I'm her best friend. And you may not know this because you're a guy, but the number one rule when it comes to friends is to never date their exes. _Ever," _I breathed, my heart pumping faster again.

"You can't just choose the person you're going to fall in love with and I'm sure Selena knows that also," Nick said, his voice firm. "I didn't choose to fall in love with you. I just did. I tried to fight it and I tried not to but it's just so impossible, Miley. Right from the beginning I know I shouldn't because you're my Selena's best friend but whenever I see you or if I'm with you, I don't give a damn."

"But don't you think this is too complicated?" I said, my eyes pleading. I didn't know what to feel at the time. It felt wrong and it felt right at the same time.

"It's not that complicated, Mi. You're just making it like one," Nick sighed, his gaze going down. "And I don't care if it gets even more complicated as long as I'm with you. I'm not giving you up that easily."

"But what if you should?" I said, sitting up and looking at him in the eyes. I could feel the tears forming again and I didn't want to cry. I was too weak for this kind of stuff. "What if you have no choice but to let me go? What if everything and everyone's against us? This is just too crazy!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air.

"Then it's us against the world," Nick said softly making me weaken. "We'll make this work. I promise you that."

"Don't, Nick." I whispered, closing my eyes. "It will kill me if you break it. So you might as well not promise me that. I love you, Nick and it you don't know how much it hurts just thinking of losing you. What more if it really happened?"

Instead of answering, Nick just reached out and pulled me back into his arms, inhaling my scent. His eyes were closed as he layed a kiss on my temple. "I don't want to lose you," he whispered as he secured his arms around my tiny body and gave me another kiss. "Let's just not talk about this at the wrong times. Selena's not here yet so we might as well enjoy the time we're together."

"You're right," I sighed, feeling myself melt against his body. "If only things happened differently..." I whispered, closing my eyes. We sat there in the middle of the night, blankets wrapped around our bodies. We didn't know what was coming and what was next. All we knew was that we didn't want the night to end. The moon glowed above us and the wind blew continuosly as if it was singing us a song. Tonight, we were invincible...

**Selena**

The smile on my face grew bigger once I realized I was spending the summer with my best friend. Just me and her and nobody else. I missed her a lot and she had no idea how much I need her at the moment. It was pouring again and it's been weeks since I've seen the sun. My cold was back and my nose was running every night. My body wasn't used to the cold weather and the wet climate. I walked back to the coffee shop, wanting to get another cup of coffee before I'd walk outside again.

It was the usual environment – people chitchattering, drinking their coffees, typing on their fancy laptops and eating cheesecakes. Somehow, I felt different and out of place. I felt like I was lost and ended up here. After all, I was the only American... or at least that's far as I know. I walked towards the counter, ordering myself a latte. I carried the mug towards the empty table and I was alone again.

I stared at the unfamiliar faces around me and I missed California even more than I did earlier. A warm feeling rushed through my body once I saw David walk in. I smiled to myself as I got up from my seat and walked towards him. I wasn't alone anymore since we understood each other completely. He spotted me and gave me a small wave and smile. As I got closer to him, I saw a beautiful girl stand next to him and he immediately wrapped his arm around her tiny waist.

"Hey Sel. I haven't seen you since yesterday. What's up?" He asked as he pulled the girl closer to him. I eyed his arm and my throat immediately dried. He had a girlfriend? Since when? He never really told me. I felt my heart sink and the smile I had earlier faded and turned into a small one. A _very _small one.

"Nothing, really. I'm just getting coffee. It's cold outside," I answered with a single nod and shrugged my shoulders slightly. "How 'bout you?"

"I'm getting coffee also. Jenny's getting cold," he smiled as he turned to the brunette beside her. She was gorgeous. How could I compete with that? She obviously smarter than me. "This is Jenny. She's my girlfriend. Jenny, this is Selena – my friend. Jenny's an American also," David grinned. My heart felt like it had been hit by a train more than ten times once he said the sentence.

"Nice to meet you, Selena. David's told me a lot about you," Jenny smiled, her accent English. She was American but she had an accent. "You're American, too? I am but I grew up here in London and adopted their accent," she giggled.

"Yeah, I am. I just transferred here last year," I answered, faking a small smile. "So how long have you been dating David? You're so lucky, he's such a wonderful guy." David smiled as the brunette let out a soft laugh and gave him a lovesick smile making me feel all left out.

"We've been dating for almost a month now," Jenny responded, her smile not leaving her lips. Her English accent stood out and it sounded cool. "He really knows how to treat a girl right. I thought he was just leading me on and here we are now."

_Well he lead me on and actually made me think that there's a chance for the two of us. _I nodded and just kept on smiling until they'd walk away. I wasn't really in the mood to make friendly conversations especially that I was talking to David's girlfriend. "I'm so happy for you guys," I grinned.

"Thanks," Jenny smiled genuinely. "How about you? Do you have any boyfriends?" she teased, giving me a suspicious smile. David eyed me carefully and I shook my head, a small giggle escaping my lips.

"No, I'm not. I was just from a really bad break-up. I'm not thinking about those kind of stuff also," I answered, wanting to sound smart in front of the two. "I want to finish college first and get my degree."

"I'm sure you will," Jenny said as she reached out and patted me on my left arm making me feel uncomfortable. "Good luck with that. I'm sure you're going to find the right guy for you. You're beautiful – a lot of guys will be begging for your attention."

"I'm sure they would," I giggled, sarcastically.

"You're more beautiful than David described," she giggled as she studied my face. "I'm glad David found someone like you. He said you make him happy whenever I wasn't around or something." What was someone like _me? _

"Jenn," David whined making me roll my eyes, playfully.

"You're more than welcome," I faked a grin, my heart cracking a little. "Besides, he was there for me too."

"Hey, um, let David get you a drink. We're just going to order. What do you want?" Jenny asked as she turned around and studied the menu as she decided what to order. I shook my head politely and pointed to the table where I was earlier.

"No need. I just ordered my coffee earlier. Thank you, though," I nodded as I watched them order their usual drinks. "You guys go ahead. My coffee's there," I said as Jenny turned around.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm good," I answered as I walked back to my table, chugging the hot Latte. My throat and tongue almost got burnt and the hot liquid warmed my whole body making me feel so much better. I wiped the corners of my mouth with a napkin before walking back towards Jenny and David.

"Come on, sit with us," David offered as they walked towards a vacant table.

"Um, I gotta go, I have classes in like ten minutes. It was nice meeting you, Jen." I smiled, this time, a real one. She was sweet and nice. No wonder David fell for her. She was perfect!

"You too, Selena," Jenny smiled.

"I'll see you guys around." I immediately dashed out of the room, not waiting for David's reply. The cold air outside hit my face and I was glad to be out of the room. I sighed to myself, not believing that I was so stupid. How could he lead me on? He's been dating her for almost a month now. Jenny was perfect and I knew David wouldn't leave him just like that. Maybe this wasn't my year. I looked back to see them leaning towards each other as they kissed. My stomach twisted and I walked straight ahead, not wanting to get hurt all over again.

**Miley**

The next morning, the door opened and closed with a loud slam making me look up from my book. Mandy walked in, a pissed look on her face. She glared at me as she stomped inside, walking straight towards her closet and drawers. Mandy grabbed her suitcase and bags as she started to stuff in her clothes. I stood up from the bed, taking small steps towards her, my arms across my chest tightly. I studied her carefully and she was probably still mad about the encounter yesterday.

"What the hell are you looking at, Stewart? You freaking ruined my reputation in front of the girls!" Mandy yelled as she went from side to side, stuffing in another pile of clothing inside her bad. "You owe me!"

"No, I don't! Will you stop acting like this? Like you're still in high school and some sort of cheerleader? You changed during the first few months! What the hell is that about? You keep on treating me like I'm some sort of crap!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air in exasparation.

"You don't know me, Miley and you don't know what's going on with my life! So stay away from me and stop telling me what to do. I'm not a freaking five year old," Mandy rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Okay fine, I get it! You're in the group of girls with bleach white teeth, tanned skin and whatsoever but stop acting like you're not from Nashville. During the first few weeks you were so sweet. Now you're a real bitch," I spat at her.

"I don't give a damn!" Mandy yelled as she swung her bag over her shoulder and started to gather her things inside the medicine cabinet. "Just don't talk to me, Stewart. I'm not here to argue with you."

"What are you doing anyway?" I rolled my eyes.

"I'm moving out. I'm moving in to Melissa's room. She's a better friend than you are," Mandy said as she walked towards the door and closing it again with a slam making me jump slightly. That was the most pathetic scene in my life. I groaned as I walked back towards the bed, focusing back on my book.

xxx

I opened my laptop, setting up the webcam and signing in to Skype. I needed to know what Selena's parents said when she asked them if she could stay at my house over the summer. I was excited to see my best friend again but nervous since we have to keep the relationship a secret. On the bright side, I was going to spend time with her no matter what will happen. Selena was online and I quickly double-clicked on her name.

She waved at the camera, a smile on her face. "Miles! I miss you! You don't know how much I'm excited this summer. I'm going to get to see you and your dad, the university you're going to and a whole lot more."

"God, I miss you too," I groaned as I leaned in towards the webcam. "So what did your parents say? Did they allow you to stay over my place? Oh come on, it's always been your second home," I giggled.

"They freaking did!" Selena squealed as she clapped her hands making me laugh along with her. I squealed in delight as I felt the need to jump up and down. My stomach twisted at the same time, not believing how I was able to do this behind all the lies I was telling her. "They even gave the allowance already. It's like three months away but I'm so excited."

"Oh my god, me too!" I giggled, "I can't wait to see you again!"

Selena smiled, growing quiet for a while. She looked around for a second before leaning in closer to the webcam. "Can I ask you something? When I get there... I wanna do something. Is it okay with you if you'll come along?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I want to see Nick," Selena smiled.

**a/n: I'm working on a oneshot so I don't know if I'll upload the one shot first or the next chapter of See Through Me. :) anyway, reviews? :D**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Oh hai. :) Now that I'm writing again, I feel amazing. I missed Nick and Miley and my readers. You guys are amazing. Thank you for sticking around.**

* * *

_Can't Have You ; Chapter Fifteen_

**Miley**

I opened my mouth to say something, struggling for words to say. She wants to see Nick. It's not so bad. I smiled, focusing my gaze at something. Anything. Just not Selena. She knows me too well and she can easily tell when I'm hiding something from her. I'm piling on lie after lie but I know I was doing it for her sake. For _our friendship's _sake. "S-Sure, Sel." I nodded, still smiling slightly. "I'm sure he'd love to see you as well."

Selena's face lit up instantly like a light bulb somebody switched on. "Really?" she grinned ever so widely that I thought it reached her ears. "You think so? I mean, wouldn't it be awkward for the two of us? But, I just really wanna see him for no apparent reason..." she paused, sighing.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be," I said. "It's been a year and it looks like the two of you are ready to be friends again. It wouldn't be a problem." I nodded, studying her face carefully. Selena looked excited, nauseous, nervous, ecstatic and doubtful all at the same time.

She let out a soft sigh before proceeding, "I _am_ ready," Selena stated. "I'm ready to be friends with him. I just don't think I'm ready to see him with... _another girl._ I know it will still hurt. Just thinking of it makes me nauseous."

_Now I'm nauseous, too. _What was I doing? How could I have let myself do this to my own best friend? I've never lied to her before and now I was doing it for some guy. Not just any guy – it's her _ex-boyfriend_ we're talking about. But come to think of it, I was doing it for love. I didn't mean to fall for Nick in the first place. I tried not to and I even denied it to myself. But I have the right to be happy too and right now, Nick makes me happy. I felt selfish for doing this to Selena – like I was the worst best friend ever.

"Yeah," I nodded shortly, looking down. "I know how that feels..."

"So if there is," Selena said, barely audible. "You might as well give me a heads up now. I don't wanna end up looking stupid in front of Nick." she said with a forced giggle. She was looking down, too. Neither one of us wanted to look at each other and she didn't seem to notice that I was avoiding meeting her eyes also.

"Well..." I faded out, rubbing the back of my neck. I had no idea how much trouble I got into. I seemed to forgot all of the consequences that came along with being with Nick. It wasn't fair neither for me nor Selena. I wanted to blame something, someone for making me choose Nick. But I couldn't seem to blame anyone or anything else but myself. "Maybe it's better if you asked Nick himself." I said, a gentle smile on my lips.

"I'd rather not," she answered, weakly. "You know what? Let's stop talking about this. He's the least of my problems. The important thing is I'm seeing you this summer and we're finally going to catch up with each other." Selena finally smiled again at the thought of being with me. Keep it together, Miley.

"This summer is gonna be amazing," I said, smiling back. "We're gonna make the most out of it and have fun as much as possible, okay?" My best friend nodded, her eyes filled with mixed emotions. Maybe Selena's life wasn't that easy. With everything she's feeling all at the same time, it must be hard to choose what emotion is best to show at the moment. And right now, she's choosing to show happiness. But I'm only half buying it.

"Of course," Selena giggled. "I miss you, Miley."

"I miss you too, Sel," I exhaled. "I miss you, too." I smiled and so did she. I wasn't sure of anything anymore. Like everything was mixed up and all a pure blur. But every time I see Nick or Selena, it's like the world seems clear again – in _very _different ways.

"I gotta go. I need to sleep for a while," she said with a yawn. "Take care, Mi!" she waved at the webcam and blew an air kiss.

"Okay," I giggled. "Bye, Sel! You take care of yourself, too." I waved back and before I knew it, she was offline. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was close to cracking and I couldn't bare lying to my best friend's face. It was like lying to your own... sister. I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. I couldn't talk to anyone else. I didn't want to talk to Nick about this. I knew he wouldn't understand. I needed a girl friend, too.

Mandy was the closest thing I had to a friend here. But now that she turned into a complete bitch, I didn't have anyone else to turn to. I flopped down the bed, hating the fact that I can't do anything about this. Even if I did talk about it to someone, it wouldn't solve the problem. It wouldn't make the situation easier or better. I buried my face in a pillow, screaming at the top of my lungs, unleashing every anger and emotion I had in me. It lasted about 10 seconds and I suddenly felt weak.

The silence in the room made me get on my feet, the pillow still in my arms. It was noon but I felt the coldness wrap around me. I just needed to be with someone. Anyone. I opened the door, turning my head from side to side. There was no one in sight. Nick's room was just in front of mine and I couldn't help but want to be with him. I crossed the hallway and twisted the knob of his door. Surprisingly, it was open.

I made my way inside, inhaling. The scent of his cologne still lingered in the air making me smile slightly. I didn't want to be intruding his privacy so I sat on the bed, hoping he'd already come back. I lied down, sighing as I held the pillow closer to me. What have I gotten myself into?

**Nick**

It was four o'clock in the afternoon and the football team gathered out on the field, surrounding the coach. I jogged towards them, throwing my backpack on one of the benches. I missed the coach's first few sentences but he was talking about the big game coming up before the year ends. The rest of the players were huge. Some were as tall as Liam and some were taller. I wasn't the smallest guy in the team but the guys around me can squish me like a bug.

"We're gonna have to work triple times harder this time, got it?" Coach yelled at us, his serious face on. The rest of the team had determination and courage on their faces as they listened to him.

"Yes, coach!" we answered in unison, our voices strong and firm.

"Alright, sharks in three," he said, placing his hand in the middle of the circle. We piled our hands on top of his and yelled "Sharks!" in unison. After that, the team scattered and started training on their own. I gotta admit, it wasn't far from high school football. The only difference was just that the faces around me weren't familiar and they weren't that welcoming. Oh, and the fact that I _was _the team captain back in high school.

"Hey, Grey!" I heard someone call from behind me. I turned around, seeing Liam walk towards me. He removed his helmet and ran a hand through his spiky blond hair. "Glad you made it this time."

"Yeah," I nodded. "I didn't miss anything important, right?" I asked, squinting under the setting sun. I had to look up at him, hating the fact that I felt so small whenever I was next to the dude.

"Not really," he shook his head, chuckling. "Coach usually just discusses the game plan and lets us train out here on our own. It just lasts for an hour so no worries." he smiled, patting me firmly on my back.

"Oh. Great," I answered, giving him a half smile.

"Hey, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Liam asked, looking around as if he was going to tell a dark secret. I shrugged my shoulders and he went on. "How's... how's Miley? I haven't talked to her in days."

"She's doing fine," I said. Liam really did care about her. He was always so protective and concerned about her. Every girl envied Miley right now for getting Liam's attention. "Miley's just really caught up with all the school work."

"Oh," he smiled that smile that made all of the girls go crazy. He was golden and everybody knew that. "I thought she was avoiding me or something. I just miss being around her. You know, since she's usually like... the sunshine that makes everything better." he chuckled.

He was obviously feeling the same thing I felt about Miley. It slightly bothered me but then I came to the conclusion that I wasn't the only guy allowed to love her. "Yeah. She's something special," I smiled, remembering everything about her. From her eyes, to her smile, to her laugh, I can go on forever.

"She is," he nodded. "She really is. Too bad I'm not the one for her." he said, looking down. With that, he slowly backed away and jogged towards the other players by the corner of the field. I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.

I don't expect Liam to be over her that easily. They _did _go on a couple of dates. He was human. His instincts told him that Miley felt something special – a "more than friends" type of feeling and so did he. Turns out he was wrong...

A guy's heartache is different from a girl's. A guy's heartache sometimes lasts longer and we may not show it often, we're still hurt. We're broken. We're upset. It's hard to forget about that girl that used to be the only thing we thought about at night. It's hard giving it up and seeing someone else make her feel special when that's all we ever wanted to do. I couldn't blame Liam for what he was feeling. The thing is, you can't choose who you're going to fall for.

The catch is, we fell for the same girl.

"Nick, may I have a word with you?" Coach said, startling me. He nodded his head to the left and walked towards the direction. I followed him quickly, wanting to hear what he has to say. Our coach had the body structure of a stuntman or an action star. He always looked prepared for a battle.

"Yes, coach?" I asked, digging my hands into my front pockets. I was one of the only five new students who got in the team. I felt pretty lucky since some of the students who tried out with me were bigger. But then again, football's not all about the size. I gulped, soothing the lump in my throat.

"You're a pretty smart and quick kid, Grey," he started, placing his clipboard under his arm. "You move faster than these boys. I want you to train hard. I see a lot of potential in you." he nodded at me, giving me a firm look.

"Yes, sir." I smiled slightly. "I will. You can count on that."

"Good," he said. "I expect a lot from you. I heard you were the team captain back in high school for two straight years? That's impressive." he looked up and studied the distance, his eyes roaming around the field.

"I was," I nodded. "Junior and senior year, sir. We won a lot of games." I said with pride. Our team had what the others didn't. _Brotherhood. _We had faith in each other and worked well as a team. Win or lose, we were still brothers.

"I heard," coach said, a smile on his lips. "Now I want you to play better this time. Train harder. Be better. You have a lot in you we can improve." he said, giving me a quick pat on the shoulder. Man, did I get a lot of pats today. I smiled, nodding again. "Alright, get your ass back on the field."

"Thanks, coach." I chuckled, getting pushed away from his big, muscular arms. I felt Liam's eyes burn behind my back. It wasn't a glare. Simply, a look. A look of confusion and curiousness. I didn't have to give him the answer to everything.

xxx

The practice ended at around seven in the evening and I was already wiped out. I managed to save enough energy for me to shower and walk back to my room. I was drained and I couldn't wait to flop down my bed. The field was already empty but the lights were still on. I stopped in my tracks when I suddenly remembered the time when Miley and I played football. I have never smiled too much until that day. That Friday night was perfect... until Liam came.

I started walking again, pushing Liam at the back of my head. He was the least of my worries. I made my way up to my room, twisting the knob. It was open. Shit, I must have forgotten to lock it again. I rolled my eyes as I walked into the room, turning on the lights. I jumped slightly once I saw someone on the bed sleeping. It was Miley.

I settled my bag quietly on the floor and sat down the edge of the bed next to her. The pillow she was holding was wet making me realize she had been crying all night. I sighed, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. She was close to cracking about the Selena issue. I was, too but I always knew this was worth it. _Miley _was worth it. I pushed the bangs out of her face, studying her every feature. She looked so serene.

"Miles," I whispered softly into her ear. Her eyes fluttered open as she tried to make out the image of who was in front of her. "What are you doing?" I chuckled as I watched her yawn, sitting up.

"I thought you were here," Miley said, scratching her eye. "I was waiting for you but I fell asleep." she giggled.

"I can see that," I chuckled, wrapping her in my arms. "Sorry. Coach didn't seem to notice the time so he dismissed us late." I said and she nodded. We sat there in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of our own heartbeats. I felt Miley bury her face into my chest as she exhaled. "Something's bothering you..." I whispered.

"It's nothing," she mumbled against my jacket. "I just think about it a lot, that's all." Not the Selena issue again. I sighed, closing the gap between the two of us. We were now lying down the bed, curled up in a ball.

"We can make it through. I promise," I said, grabbing a hold of her hand.

"We can't keep this a secret forever, Nick." Miley said, her eyes closed. "She's gonna find out. I don't want her to find out the hard way. I want to be the one to explain everything to her. I'm just afraid that the right time will never come..."

"Miles," I sighed. "I want that, too. But please don't be so hard on yourself. We're not doing something illegal. This is not a crime. I'm not cheating, you're not cheating. I ended things with Selena properly. There was closure."

"But this isn't right, I'm Selena's best friend. This is against the rules!" she said, frustrated. I felt tears on my jacket as she gripped it tightly. "Best friends aren't supposed to date their exes. It's just... _wrong_."

"That's the point, she's your best friend. She can't stay mad at you forever, Mi." I said, trying to make her look at me. "She's gonna accept it. This time, it's _her _turn to be happy for you. If she's really your friend, she's going to be... even if it means getting herself hurt."

"I want us _both _to be happy. Not just me," Miley sniffed, looking up at me, tears cascading down her beautiful face. I wiped them away with the pad of my thumb, placing a kiss on her nose.

"I'm not the only person who's going to bring her happiness," I said, "She's gonna find someone better than me. Someone who'll truly love her. It's just not me..." I gave her a weak smile as she sighed.

"What if I can't do this anymore?" Miley blurted out, looking down making my heart stop.

* * *

**A/N: The next chapters of my other stories are now in progress! Leave a review? :) **


	16. IMPORTANT MESSAGE!

**Hey, guys!**

How's everybody doing? I'm sorry if I haven't been updating _any _of my stories. I got really busy, everything started to change and I guess this kind of slipped away. I really miss writing, supporting Niley and every little thing that used to be a huge part of my life. I miss seeing your feedback, I miss learning to be a better writer, I miss imagining scenarios in my head about Miley and Nick, I miss each and every one of my readers.

I want to let you all know that I want to give this one more shot, but I'm going to need your opinions. Here's what I'm planning to do:

a. **Continue (at least one of) my unfinished stories**

Can't Have You

Three Weeks of Summer

See Through Me

b. **Write a new story**

Tell me what you guys think. I really need to hear you all out. Just please leave a review. It would mean a lot to me. I hope everyone's doing alright! And I hope you guys will welcome me and my stories again in your heart. :)

xoxo

Rica


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: Here it goes. I apologize in advance if I get some of the details wrong. It's been long and I don't exactly remember the small details in this story even though I skimmed the last few chapters. Either way, I hope you guys still enjoy this. :)**

* * *

_Can't Have You ; Chapter Sixteen_

**Nick**

Miley's face softened upon realizing what she just said. Everything blurred out in a matter of seconds and it took me a while to get myself together. Her words rang in my ears in a painful kind of way. Miley stared at me with her crystal blue orbs, tears cascading down her cheeks. "What?" I blinked, shaking my head slowly. It was taking me too long to soak in those seven words. "I-I don't understand, Miles. We don't have to make this complicated. We–"

"We're _not _making it complicated, Nick. It just is!" Miley exclaimed, her cheeks flushed. "I know I told you this before, you're probably getting tired hearing it every single day but do you know how hard it is lying at your best friend's face? It's tearing me apart inside, Nick."

I closed my eyes, putting my head in my hands. Here we go again. To come clean – that was all what Miley wanted, but she was too scared to do it. "And you think it's not doing the same to me?" I said, trying to keep calm. "I see you crying, Miley. Every night you blame yourself for something no one's really responsible of. It fucking kills me to see you so broken and I can't do anything about it."

"I don't expect you to do anything," Miley said, lying back down the bed. "I just wanna know everything will be okay. Maybe not right now, maybe not tomorrow. I just wanna hear it will be... eventually."

"I'm always here, Mi," I whispered, staying at the edge of the bed with my back to her. "Always."

I looked at her over my shoulder. She was curled up in a ball, holding a pillow close to her chest, her face buried in it. She didn't answer. I sighed, frozen in my own seat. I can't let her go. The thought of not being with her, not feeling her against me is unbearable. I ran a hand across my hair and down my face. I was tired. We were both tired.

"She wants to see you this summer," Miley mumbled against the pillow, her voice barely audible. "She wants to see the both of us. She's ready to be friends. But do you know what she told me earlier? What really crushed everything in me?"

"No, Miles." I answered.

"She told me she wasn't ready to see you yet with another girl," Miley replied, sitting up slowly with her head down. "She told me I might as well give her a heads up if you _were _seeing another girl."

"Miles–"

"I'm not ready either, Nick," she said, her voice cracking. My heart was beating hard against my chest. Like hammer against cloth. For a moment there, I thought it was going to pop out. "I'm not ready to hurt her. I'm not ready to see her come here all the way from London to run away crying because her best friend whom she trusted her entire life lied to her and everything she believed in was complete and utter bullshit."

"So what do you wanna do?" I asked, my voice raising. "You're just going to walk away from everything, from us because you're scared? Miley, I am not giving up on us so why are you? Can't you see I'm doing everything I can do to fix this mess we're in? Don't you see that?"

We were slowly falling apart.

Tears both soaked our faces, avoiding each other's eyes. There would be too much pain if we did. I sighed, shaking my head as I leaned my forehead against the wall. "I-I'm sorry," Miley sniffed as she got up from where she was seating, walking towards me.

"I'm not going away," I assured her, wrapping my arms securely around her. I leaned my forehead against hers, our eyes closed. "I promise you that."

"Nick," she whispered and I felt her breath on my neck. "Don't make promises you're not sure you can keep." With that, she pulled away from my grip and headed towards the door without looking back.

Before I knew it, she was gone.

**Miley **

I quickly opened the door to my room and once I got inside, I collapsed down the bed. I could barely breathe. There were too much tears were rushing down my cheeks, I thought I was going to be dried out. I curled up in a ball on my bed, holding the crumpled sheets close to my chest. It smelled of fabric conditioner, but that didn't distract me from thinking about what had just happened.

I stared blankly at the distance, trying to register every word that escaped Nick's lips. He wasn't going away. He wasn't giving up on us. He was going to do everything to fix this. The only problem was, I wasn't. I was making it harder for him. For the both of us. But that didn't seem to matter, because no matter what I say, it wasn't going to change the fact that I lied to Selena about everything.

Maybe I was over thinking, exaggerating, thinking too fast. I was letting fear take over me. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't seem to find that one ounce of strength I needed to make it through this. I had to look harder. For me. For Selena. For Nick and I.

I wasn't exactly sure anymore where Nick and I stand with each other. I know I didn't break up with him... maybe I didn't say it upfront but I know I didn't. I said I didn't want to do this anymore, too. I mixed up both of her minds. Maybe it was best to leave it as it is for now. At least until Selena gets here, spends the summer over and leave.

There was this empty feeling in me, like something was missing. I immediately knew what was missing. Of course, it was Nick. He was just right across the hall and I had to fight the urge to walk back in and just... look at him.

My eyes grew heavy and I finally stopped crying. I was afraid I ran out of tears. But maybe it was a good thing, so I'd never have to cry again and feel no pain... if that was possible. I tried my best to stay awake for no apparent reason, but my eyelids shut tightly then it was pitch black.

xxx

I walked the halls of the university with my eyes down on my feet. I walked in a fast pace so I could get to class and get it over with. I didn't want to run in to anyone I knew today, especially not Nick. We haven't talked since last night and I haven't seen him since. He was probably avoiding me too. If he was, he was doing the right thing.

I walked inside the classroom and made my way towards my usual seat. "Shit," I mumbled, groaning as I sat down. It was only then when I remembered that Nick and I had the same class this hour and he sat behind me. At least he was behind me. That way, he couldn't see me. I felt like I was too vulnerable. He'd easily see right through me.

The bell rang and the professor walked in. There was no sign of Nick. I looked around the classroom, thinking that he probably switched seats with someone. He didn't. He was no where in sight and I sighed. I rested my chin on the palm of my hand, staring blankly at the huge whiteboard in front of us. I could see our professor's mouth moving, but it was odd that I couldn't hear anything.

I fidgeted in my seat, starting to get worried. Where in blazes was Nick? It wasn't normal of him to skip classes since we got here. Different worst case scenarios started playing consecutively in my head. Well that didn't help. It made me feel worse, actually. I started tapping my pen loudly against my desk repeatedly, catching the attention of our professor.

"Miss Stewart," he called, startling me. I looked up immediately to meet his annoyed gaze.

"Um... Yes, sir?" I asked even though I knew why he called my attention. I stopped tapping my pen, holding in my breath.

"Do you mind?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me. "Miss Stewart, if you are no longer interested in my class, the door is right over there and you may leave whenever you want. Please don't disturb the class."

"Right," I nodded. "I'm sorry, I– carry on, sir."

He gave me one more meaningful stare before putting on his glasses and turning his attention back on the book. I sighed in relief, but I was still worried.

Maybe I was getting all worked up for nothing. Maybe he was just late and would barge in the room any minute now. I waited. After a couple of minutes, nothing. I rolled my eyes at my wrist watch. It was going to be a hell of a long hour so I might as well make the best of it. I pushed the thought at the back of my head until the hour was over and I got to focus a little bit on the lesson.

Once class was over, I started looking for him casually. He could be anywhere, but then again, the university was twice as big as our high school. My head turned from left to right, trying to spot the familiar curly haired guy. Still... nothing.

"Miley? Miley!" I heard a familiar voice call out from a distance behind me. I turned around, seeing a tall, blond Aussie with a warm smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile back. He made his way towards me, the smile never leaving his face. "Hey, Miles."

"Liam," I couldn't help smiling back. "Hey. It's been a while... How are you?" I asked, squinting under the sun as I looked up at him. He still looked as beautiful as ever.

"I've been fine, I guess," he chuckled, shoving his hands in his front pockets. "How about you? Everything doing fine?"

"Not exactly everything," I smiled sadly as I shrugged my shoulders. Liam was my friend. He was genuine and whenever he asks me how I was doing, he'd always be interested to know. Not just for the sake of having a conversation. "It's been rough."

"Hey, it's going to be alright," Liam said, offering me a soft smile. "You wanna go get some coffee? It would probably help you get your mind off of things."

I smiled, nodding. "I'd love to."

"Great," he grinned, placing a hand on my back to escort me.

We headed to the nearest coffee shop and I couldn't help but look around to search for Nick. It was weird how earlier in the day, I was trying to avoid him. I still am, I guess. I just wanna know where he is and if he was okay. I crossed my fingers behind my back as we sat down on a table.

"What do you want?" Liam inquired as he stood up, "I'll go get our coffees."

"Caramel Espresso," I answered, reaching in my bag to get my wallet.

"No, no," he chuckled, stopping me. "I'll take care of it."

"Thanks," I smiled as I watched him walk towards the counter and stand behind a woman in the line. I noticed that among everyone in the line, he was the tallest. I giggled to myself. He looked so intimidating.

I glanced at my wrist watch and it was already four in the afternoon. Where has Nick been the entire day? I sighed, playing with the napkins on the table. I started remembering what happened again last night; how much I left everything hanging. We were in an awkward disposition like we used to before. I ran a hand through my hair, leaning back on my chair. Liam made his way back to our table carrying a tray.

"Here," he said as he handed me my drink and placed his on the table.

"Thank you," I smiled, watching him sit down in front of him. "So, how's football? I heard you guys are gonna have a game in a couple of weeks."

"Yeah, we are. The team's training extra hard and coach is kind of... all up in everyone's faces," Liam chuckled, shaking his head. "But it's for the best, I guess. Everyone's doing whatever they can to impress coach."

"Wow," I giggled, "It sounds exhausting."

"Not really if you just try to have fun," he smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "Coach has his eye on Nick. He's a really good player, Miles. He's the only freshman that got in the team. Coach says he's capable of doing great things."

"Really?" I grinned. The sound of Nick's name lit up my face. "Back in high school he really was the star of every football game. Too bad he was such an ass back then and didn't really pay attention to what he needs to improve."

"Well, I guess he's changed," Liam took a sip of his drink. "If you don't mind me asking... how are things between you and Nick? Going great?

"Yeah. Just great," I huffed sarcastically, resting my chin on the palm of my hand. "I always bring up something that ends up in an argument and it happens almost every night."

Liam chuckled. "Not every relationship is perfect, Mi. You should remember that," he said softly, looking into my eyes. "And you can't always blame yourself for everything that goes wrong."

"I'm not blaming myself, I really am," I giggled softly, shaking my head. "And I feel like I'm ready to give up. I'm just tired, I guess."

"Sleep it off, it'll be gone in the morning," he joked, smiling as he finished his cup of coffee.

"Yeah, well sadly, it's the kind of tired that sleep can't fix," I sighed, leaning back on my chair. "And I thought all this drama would be left behind once we graduate from high school. I stand corrected."

"Graduate from high school, graduate from college, it doesn't really matter," Liam said, "You can't avoid drama. It's life."

"Then it sucks," I rolled my eyes, sighing.

"Tell you what," Liam chuckled, leaning his elbows on the table. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm ready to listen."

I smiled, looking at the twinkle in his eyes. "Thanks. So am I." I nodded before flashing another smile.

"I have to go," Liam said, glancing at his wrist watch. "I still have football practice."

"Me too," I said as we both stood up. "I still have course work to do."

A warm breeze hit our faces as we stepped out of the coffee shop and I swore I saw Nick at the distance walk around the corner. "Hey–" I stopped myself before I could say his name. I thought maybe the heat was getting to me and I was starting to imagine things.

"Don't worry. If I see Nick later, I'll make sure he's okay," Liam smiled, putting his hands inside his front pockets.

"Thanks," I smiled, swinging my bag over my shoulder. "I'll see you around."

"Take care, Mi," Liam waved before turning around and walking away.

I smiled to myself knowing that even though somehow, I hurt Liam, he was still ready to help as a friend. And he was okay with that. He was content with the fact that he's only a friend. He would be a great boyfriend, I thought to myself, but he's just not for me.

I walked to the opposite direction and made my way towards the dorm. I just wanted to lock myself in my room until the day ends.

**Nick**

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and I immediately got up. I was going to be late for football practice. I rushed in the bathroom and took a quick shower. I had fifteen minutes. I grabbed the nearest clean pieces of clothing next to me and slipped them on. I looked at my cellphone, hoping Miley called... at least texted. She didn't.

My cellphone's wallpaper stared back at me and my heart winced. Of course, my wallpaper was Miley. She was smiling – the kind of smile she does when she really is happy. I managed to capture it once and she absolutely looked stunning. I sighed to myself, wanting to just wrap her around my arms again.

I shook it off, grabbed my bag, sung it over my shoulder and hurried out the door. I rushed down the stairs, running towards the locker room. I quickly changed into our gear and ran outside to the football field. Almost everyone was already there. And so was coach.

"Shit," I panted as I made it towards them. They were huddled in a small circle with coach in the middle.

"What the hell?" he half-yelled making all of us jump a little. "The game is in less than two weeks. And what are you all doing? You're playing like a bunch of girls. Is that the best you can do?"

Everyone remained quiet, our arms across our chest as we squinted under the sun. "I said is that the best you ladies could do?" coach repeated loudly, looking at each and every one of us.

"No, coach!" We said in unison.

"Then why don't you go out there and prove it?" coach screamed, breaking the huddle. We all scrambled on our feet to run away and out on the field. "You. Grey. I need a word with you." he said, motioning his head to the right.

"Sure, coach." I said, jogging towards him.

"You were late," he started off calmly. Damn was I in a lot of trouble. "You know, boy, you got a lot in you. But I don't think you see it yet and how important this could be to your life. Do you understand?"

I nodded, "I'm sorry, coach. I didn't–"

"Go out there and run 10 laps, Grey," he said, crossing his arms across his chest. "Go!"

I sighed to myself as I felt the droplets of sweat slide down my back and neck. This was going to be a long afternoon.

**Miley**

I lied down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. For once, I wasn't thinking too much. My brain wasn't scrambling for answers which usually made my head hurt. I held a pillow against my chest, burying my face in it. It somehow smells like Nick... or maybe it was just me. I sighed, lying down on my side. I was still wondering where he is and what he's doing, but come to think of it, his room was just right across the hall.

I sat up, staring at my door. Maybe I should just go in and see what he was doing? After all, football practice is probably done already. "No, Miley," I said to myself with a groan. "He's okay. You don't have to."

I lied back down, placing the pillow on top of my face. I lied there for about half a minute then I sat back up so quickly, my head spun. Who was I kidding? I raced to my door and across the hall just dying to see Nick already. I stood there for a while in front of his door with my hand on the doorknob. I exhaled.

"Nick, I–" I said, barging in his room.

I didn't know what to feel. My heart grew then it sank. There she was, my best friend, in Nick's arms with a smile as bright as sunshine as she hugged him. Their heads turned to my direction.

"Selena?"

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it took a little while. I had to familiarize myself with the story again, but I hope it somehow made you all smile. Leave a review? It would absolutely, positively make my day. Thank you for sticking around. It means a lot. :)**


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